Animals would suffer under new EC regulations, warns NOAH

Millions of farm livestock could suffer and thousands of jobs could be threatened in the rural economy if an EU proposal to reclassify hundreds of animal medicines is adopted, warns the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH).

The EU Commission has been looking at ways to make the stringent approval procedures for medicines - both human and animal - work more efficiently. Animal medicine manufacturers have been working with the Commission, the veterinary profession and both farm and animal health organisations, with the aim of using this opportunity to improve the availability of medicines to keep farm animals and pets healthy.

Much has already been achieved, but at the eleventh hour, and without consultation, the Commission has introduced a new clause to force every medicine for food-producing animals to be classified as a Prescription-Only Medicine (POM), available only on veterinary prescription. This would destroy the long established and highly effective UK system, under which farmers and horse owners are able to purchase certain routine medicines from their local trained and qualified merchant or saddler.

The products which would be affected include those used as part of normal herd health management. These include antiparasitics (used to control parasitic infestations such as liver fluke, tapeworms, lice and mites), some vaccines, topical ointments and antiseptics, such as teat dips and foot sprays. Medicines used to treat horses would also be included within the changes: the horse is officially a food animal.

"The UK already has highly developed mechanisms in place to ensure the proper regulation, distribution and use of animal medicines," says NOAH director Roger Cook. "All medicines for food chain animals must have a Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) and a statutory withdrawal period, to ensure no residues of that medicine end up in the food. The system works: residue figures, published quarterly by the UK Government, bear this out. Other member states aim to achieve the same end, but in a different way. The systems they have in place have grown up to fit in with local culture and types of farming."

Restricting the supply of medicines to the veterinary profession could result in the closure of up to 1700 UK agricultural merchants and saddlers, impose severe financial hardship for the owners, result in thousands of AMTRA-qualified persons and support staff losing their jobs, and further damage the socio-economic infrastructure of already hard-pressed rural areas. Making it more difficult, more time consuming and possibly more expensive for livestock producers to obtain vital medicines would also lead to a black market, threatening animal welfare and consumer safety.

"We are not saying that there should be a free-for-all situation regarding the sale of medicines", explained Mr Cook. "Far from it. There are well established criteria for POM medicines already laid down in EU law, which we fully support. There needs to be veterinary expertise before antibiotics should be prescribed, for example. But limiting supply to vets wouldn't help prevent residues in food.

"Farmers are professionals, with a legal responsibility for producing safe food. As such, they should be able to obtain medicines from trained professionals including, but not limited to, vets.

"The EC has presented no evidence to suggest that these new anti-competitive proposals would do anything to enhance existing standards of animal welfare or bring about improvements in consumer safety, but they would destroy businesses in already depressed rural areas. NOAH therefore strongly opposes this proposal and urges the UK Government and Members of the European Parliament to take every available step to argue against the changes."

5 October 2001

Notes for Editors

1. For further information contact Roger Cook or Alison Glennon at NOAH, tel. +44 (0)20 8367 3131, or visit the NOAH website.
2. The National Office of Animal Health was formed on 1 January 1986 to represent the UK companies which research, develop, manufacture and market licensed animal health products. The association has 38 corporate members and 11 associate members. In 2000 NOAH's members accounted for around 95% of the £357 million UK animal health market, with additional valuable exports.
3. AMTRA, (the Animal Medicines Training Regulatory Authority), is an independent regulatory body, whose task it is to ensure that the marketing and distribution of animal medicines in the UK is undertaken in a responsible manner by AMTRA qualified persons.