FOI2026/01195 - Correspondence and Meetings involving MSD Animal Health
Published 23 September 2026
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1. Your request
Under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I request access to information held by VMD regarding communications, meetings, and policy consultations involving MSD Animal Health UK (including Merck & Co., Inc. and subsidiaries/brands such as Allflex Livestock Intelligence and OS ID) concerning Electronic Identification (EID) for livestock, targeted regulation, and financial farming incentives.
Specifically, I request the disclosure of all information from 1 October 2023 to the present date covering:
1. All emails, letters, and written communications between VMD officials, ministers, or advisors and representatives of MSD Animal Health UK, including all attachments and enclosures, regarding:
* EID systems.
* MSD’s Time for Tech policy campaign.
* Animal Welfare
* Financial incentives or grants (such as the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund - FETF) for adopting EID, smart tags, or herd monitoring systems (e.g., SenseHub).
2. Minutes, agendas, briefing notes, attendance logs, presentations, whitepapers, draft proposals, or impact assessments related to any meetings or workshops where both VMD officials/ministers and MSD representatives were present discussing the above topics.
2. Our reply
The VMD is a UK government agency that regulates veterinary medicines to protect animal health, public health, environment. It is not responsible for the regulation of devices or other technology and therefore does not hold information you requested.