Animal medicines part of a sustainable future
Last year's Chairman, John McNally, commented in NOAH's annual report that: "Times
are changing". The Curry Report, European
Regulatory Review 2001, the Marsh recommendations and
the Competition Commission will all have an impact on the members of NOAH. NOAH therefore
needs to keep abreast of these issues, move with the times, and use the opportunity to
work alongside other organisations to ensure that change is for the better for everyone
involved in animal medicines, be it for food chain production or companion animal
medicines
Speaking at the Annual Dinner of the National Office of Animal Health, held in London
on 18th April, NOAH Chief Executive Philip Sketchley said that Sir Don Curry's Policy
Commission's recommendation that research should be directed to low or no-drug farming
systems was worrying, as this could be taken to mean there was no place for animal
medicines in sustainable farming.
"We certainly hope that wasn't what was meant. NOAH's 'strapline' for many years
has been 'Animals need medicines too', because medicines are part of the solution to
provide safe and healthy food, in sustainable systems," said Mr Sketchley. He added:
"Naturally, we support initiatives to reduce the need to use medicines. Our work with
RUMA, the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance, is an example of that.
However, prevention - through good stockmanship and through vaccination and worming - is
better than cure, but equally there are times when cures are vital for animal welfare.
Increasingly we hear reports of animals that are farmed organically suffering because a
particular medicine could not be used, or because the right therapeutic treatment was
withheld until all else had failed," he added. "NOAH will be responding to the DEFRA 'Sustainable
Food and Farming - Working Together' document. In the spirit of the title, we hope to
be working together with many of the organisations represented here to highlight the
benefits our members' products can bring to DEFRA's vision."
With the review of the European regulations governing animal medicines continuing, Mr
Sketchley welcomed the willingness of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate to maintain
dialogue with NOAH and other groups on the changes proposed, in particular DEFRA's support
for flexibility that would enable the distribution of PML licensed animal medicines
thorough registered distributors to continue.
"It is not only NOAH that has seen changes recently. For example, Mike Rutter has
recently retired from the VMD," said Mr Sketchley. "We would like to take this
opportunity, on behalf of the industry, to thank Mike for all his work over the years and
wish him all the best in his retirement. We also look forward to working with Steve Dean
and the VMD team in the future. We might not agree on everything, but we believe that
openness of discussion is the best way forward, and will be looking for dialogue to
continue."
Discussing the Competition Commission, whose enquiry into veterinary prices is ongoing,
Mr Sketchley said: "NOAH was invited to a meeting with the Competition Commission in
February and will be attending the next meeting, along with others, next week. This is all
part of the normal enquiry process and we are happy to help provide background, on behalf
of our members, to the regulatory environment in which the animal medicines are licensed.
The full report from the Competition Commission is not due until next year and we wait
with interest to see how their recommendations relate to the earlier report from Sir John
Marsh and his team."
The next 12 months will bring challenges and, we hope, opportunities. We remain
convinced that if NOAH, our members, the regulators and users of medicines work closely
together we will achieve improvements in medicines availability, continued effective
distribution with sufficient profit incentive to encourage further research and new
medicines to meet the future needs of the veterinary profession, merchants, farmers and
the pet owning public.
Ends
18 April 2002
Notes for Editors
For further information contact Phil Sketchley or Alison Glennon at NOAH, tel. +44 (0)20 8367 3131,
or visit the NOAH website.
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 37 corporate members and 12 associate members.
In 2001 NOAH's members accounted for around 95% of the £359 million UK animal health
market, with additional valuable exports.
DEFRA's publication 'Sustainable Food and Farming
Working Together is available from Sustainable Agriculture Strategy Division, DEFRA, Room
308, Whitehall Place (East Block), London SW1A 2HH or on the web (along with the Policy
Commission Report) on the DEFRA website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/sustain/default.htm
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