NOAH calls for UK-EU vet medicine agreement
"Veterinary medicines must not be sidelined as a technical detail" - Dawn Howard, NOAH chief executive.
The National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) has united with its EU counterpart, AnimalhealthEurope, to call for a veterinary medicines agreement between the UK and EU.
The groups warn that, since the UK's exit from the European Union, there has been no formal regulatory agreement on veterinary medicines.
They maintain that a veterinary agreement is vital not only for treating pets and livestock, but also to protect public health, ensure food security and support sustainable agriculture. Animal welfare in both the UK and the EU could be at risk.
A lack of regulatory co-operation is currently causing challenges which threaten product availability and innovation. While other regulatory agreements have diverged since Brexit, NOAH says that a lack of alignment in the veterinary medicines sector has caused unnecessary duplication, increased costs and risks to availability.
Political leaders are set to meet for the EU-UK Summit in London on 19 May 2025. NOAH and AnimalhealthEurope hope they will use the opportunity to agree on a dedicated veterinary medicines agreement.
The organisations suggest that the leaders could either agree on a standalone deal or include it as a specific chapter in a broader Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement. NOAH and AnimalhealthEurope believe this will mean continued alignment across product authorisation, labelling, distribution and post-market surveillance.
Dawn Howard, chief executive of NOAH, said: “Veterinary medicines must not be sidelined as a technical detail—they are critical to the health of our animals, the safety of our food, and the growth of our economy.”
She added: “This moment is a great opportunity. The UK and the EU have the chance to show leadership in animal health and welfare, economic co-operation, and One Health. NOAH, together with AnimalhealthEurope, is ready to work with regulators and policymakers to secure this outcome.”
Roxane Feller, secretary general of AnimalhealthEurope, said: “Unlike politics, disease knows no borders. Guaranteed access to veterinary medicines is fundamental to safeguarding animal health and welfare, ensuring food security, and protecting public health under the One Health framework.
“AnimalhealthEurope, together with NOAH, has been calling for cooperation in the field of veterinary medicines since the publication of the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration on the future relationship between the UK and the EU in 2018.”
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Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
