Lords Committee hears industry concerns over supply of veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland as grace period nears end
On Wednesday 12 November, the Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee will question key industry representatives about the potential impact of new EU rules governing the distribution of veterinary medicine in Northern Ireland, which will apply in full from 1 January 2026.
Meeting details
Background
The current extended grace period, that suspends certain EU Veterinary Medicinal Products Regulation rules for Northern Ireland, is due to expire on 31 December 2025. From 1 January 2026, two key requirements will apply: (a) the registered address of the Marketing Authorisation Holder for a veterinary medicine, which must be displayed on the product’s packaging, must be located within the EU or NI; and (b) veterinary medicines must be batch tested on entry into NI from outside the EU, even if they have previously been batch tested in GB or in the EU before transiting through GB.
Concerns over these changes continue. When the House of Lords European Affairs Sub-Committee on the Windsor Framework reviewed the issue in 2024, it heard that the sector is highly regulated, making the changes complex, time-consuming and costly, and the additional costs could adversely affect the economic viability of supplying certain products into NI. The Sub-Committee also highlighted the critical link between animal health and public health, especially with food-producing animals, and emphasised the urgency of finding a solution between the UK and EU to ensure continued access to a full range of veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland.
In June, the Government published its plan, 'Protecting Animal Health, The Government’s Approach to Veterinary Medicines in Northern Ireland', which aims to secure a sufficient supply of medicines from January 2026, primarily through the introduction of two new schemes.
Possible questions will include:
- What impact do you expect the end of the grace period on 31 December 2025 to have on the supply of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland?
- How have your industries been preparing for the end of the grace period?
- What is the cost to the wider industry of preparing for the new requirements, what will be the cost of complying with those requirements, and who will be meeting those costs in the long run?
- What is your assessment of the Government’s Veterinary Medicines Health Situation and Internal Market Schemes? To what extent do you expect them to facilitate sufficient supplies of veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland?
- Are you expecting any issues with the supply of veterinary medicines despite the new schemes? If so, what are they?
- Do you consider the Government’s schemes present a suitable long-term solution to maintain an adequate supply of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland?
- Taking into account the new schemes, does the issue of veterinary medicines supply still pose risks to Northern Ireland, for example in relation to animal and human health, agriculture and agrifood, and the wider society?
- What further steps could the Government take to address any outstanding issues?
Further information