Vets, farmers and pet owners in Northern Ireland will continue to have post-Brexit access to animal medicines from the UK in the “vast majority of cases”, the UK government has said.
However, it warned of a “risk of disruption” remaining for a small number of critical products.
The comments were contained in a policy paper on Britain’s approach to veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland, published by Northern Secretary, Hilary Benn, on Thursday.
From January 1st, 2026, veterinary medicines from Britain distributed in Northern Ireland must comply with EU rules agreed between London and Brussels as part of the Windsor Framework.
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Concerns had been raised by vets and politicians that up to half the veterinary medicines used in Northern Ireland could become unavailable because firms in Britain would choose to stop supplying them rather than carry out the additional retesting and relabelling required to sell them in the North after the cut-off date.
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The paper said London’s current expectation was that there would be “very limited disruption, with fewer than 20 products due to face discontinuation that we consider are likely to result in significant adverse impacts if not addressed.”
It announced two schemes which it said would provide additional resilience and “plug any emerging critical gaps” by allowing vets to continue to access medicines from Britain.
The UK government said these were within the scope of the Windsor Framework so did not require negotiation with, or approval from, the EU. It is understood the bloc is aware of, and comfortable with, the move.
From January 1st, the Veterinary Medicines Health Situation Scheme will “permit the use of suitable alternative products from outside Northern Ireland” by professionals without any additional red tape “if the situation of animal or public health so requires”.
A separate Veterinary Medicines Internal Market Scheme will allow vets use specific individual medicines not authorised or available in Northern Ireland when needed, again without any additional administrative burden or certification.
The UK government also said any veterinary medicines already on the market in Northern Ireland can remain so until their expiry date, even if it is after the cut-off from January 1st.
The move was strongly criticised by some unionist parties. DUP MP Carla Lockhart said the “stark reality” was that the UK government had “chosen to prioritise placating the EU” over protecting the interests of animals, vets, farmers and the wider agri-food sector in Northern Ireland.
Instead of resolving the problem, she said, London had “simply issued another paper and acquiesced to EU law that does not deal substantively with the concerns raised by the industry and does not enjoy cross-community consent”.
Traditional Unionist Voice leader, Jim Allister, said that “instead of standing up for Northern Ireland, the [UK] government has largely rolled over, devoting its energy to encouraging reorientation of our supplies so that they come from the EU, not GB.”
