The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has responded to concerns around supply of veterinary medicines in a no-deal Brexit scenario after the government was forced to publish its Operation Yellowhammer: No-deal contingency planning paper last week by parliament.
BVA President, Simon Doherty said: “Continued access to veterinary medicines post-Brexit is essential for safeguarding animal health and welfare, public safety and the food chain in the UK. Our concerns with regards to veterinary medicines lie with those for long term health conditions and medicines that have a short shelf life, such as vaccines. Most vaccines cannot be stored for long periods of time and the absence of them could have an adverse effect on the health and welfare of farm animals.
“The Government has made assurances that it would prioritise maintaining the supply of these products in a no-deal Brexit scenario.”
The BVA said it was continuing to work with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) and the industry body National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) to monitor the situation.