Call for tighter anthelmintic regulations
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has written to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) requesting a change to regulations, so that anthelmintics can only be prescribed by a veterinary surgeon.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Veterinarians in Europe is currently lobbying for tighter rules regarding the accessibility of anthelmintics across Europe – with the support of the BVA.
In order to ensure the power to prescribe anthelmintics lies with the veterinary surgeon alone, all anthelmintics must be classified as POM-V. This change to the Veterinary Medicines Regulations means that both vets and Suitably Qualified Persons (SQPs) will lose their power to do so.
The BVA said it believes it is important that all anthelmintics be classified as POM-V so that their use is conditional on appropriate veterinary advice for all species, at a time when expert opinion is increasingly alarmed at the growth in resistance to anthelmintics in grazing animals.
The association backs up its statement by concluding that SQPs do not have the level of expertise that a veterinary surgeon has in veterinary parasitology.
"We know that resistance to anthelmintics is a major problem that must be addressed vigorously if the livestock industry is to avoid a potentially disastrous situation of being unable to tackle parasites in grazing animals," commented Peter Jones, the BVA president.
"The UK must be brought in line with the rest of Europe and we need Europe-wide legislation to better control access to anthelmintics in order to safeguard the efficacy of these products in the future."
The BVA is a member of the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) Alliance, and is actively working on a CPD programme to reinforce the responsible use of anthelmintics.
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
