Supplying veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland
Actions to be taken by Marketing Authorisation Holders in order to supply veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland from 1 January 2026.
The changes from 1 January 2026 only affect supply from or through Great Britain to Northern Ireland. Supply from the EU to Northern Ireland is unaffected. Supply from EU to Northern Ireland is also unaffected.
On 19 June 2025, the Government published its paper on ‘Protecting Animal Health: The Government’s Approach to Veterinary Medicines in Northern Ireland’.
This guidance sets out the steps that businesses need to take to continue to market their products in Northern Ireland from 1 January 2026.
Marketing Authorisation Holders (MAH) must be based in Northern Ireland or an EU Member State to market a veterinary medicine in Northern Ireland.
From 1 January, if you hold a Marketing Authorisation (MA) valid in Northern Ireland (either an Northern Ireland only MA (Vm xxxxx/3xxx) or a UK-wide MA (Vm xxxxx/4000) or a centralised product with a number beginning with ‘EU’) you must be based in Northern Ireland or the EU to supply to Northern Ireland. If you hold a Marketing Authorisation valid in Northern Ireland and are based in Great Britain, you will not be able to supply to Northern Ireland after 31 December 2025.
and are based in Great Britain, you must apply to vary your authorisation(s) to change the Marketing Authorisation Holder to an EU or Northern Ireland based legal entity. If you do not change your holder to an EU or Northern Ireland based legal entity, you will not be able to supply to Northern Ireland after 31 December 2025.
If you have not yet submitted a variation application to change your MAs to reflect an EU or Northern Ireland-based legal entity but still intend to supply products to Northern Ireland after 31 December 2025, we strongly encourage you to contact the VMD as soon as possible. Please note that the deadline for submitting such variations in time for processing by 31 December 2025 has now passed.
Marketing Authorisation Holders are also reminded that if they are unable to supply medicines to any part of the UK, including Northern Ireland, this must be reported to the VMD as soon as possible using Report a supply problem with a veterinary medicine - GOV.UK.
Placing on the market
Veterinary medicines that have already been placed on the market in Northern Ireland (including from Great Britain) before 1 January 2026, may continue to be sold and supplied in Northern Ireland.
For a veterinary medicine to be considered to have been placed on the market in Northern Ireland, the following criteria must have been met:
- The veterinary medicine must have been released onto the market before 1 January 2026 by a Qualified Person (QP) in the UK or the EU; and
- There must have been an offer or agreement (either written or verbal) for the transfer of ownership of the medicine to a legal entity in Northern Ireland. This may include transfer of stock for sale or supply to different legal entities within the same company group.
Veterinary medicines in Great Britain or the EU that meet the above criteria before 1 January 2026 but have not yet been physically delivered may still be supplied to Northern Ireland after that date.
From 1 January 2026, products that are QP released for supply to Northern Ireland must be presented in updated packaging that reflects the details of the new legal entity.
From 1 January 2026, authorised veterinary medicines supplied to Northern Ireland from Great Britain can only be supplied by the holder of a Manufacturing Authorisation (ManA) granted in accordance with the Windsor Framework who must ensure each batch of product is tested to confirm that it meets its required specification before being released to the market by a Northern Ireland or EU-based Qualified Person.
This does not apply to veterinary medicines authorised in Northern Ireland and imported directly from the EU or veterinary medicines sourced by vets for use under the cascade / the Veterinary Medicines Internal Market Scheme.
More details on manufacturing requirements are available on Apply to manufacture authorised veterinary medicines or exempt products for small pet animals - GOV.UK.
Updates to this page
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Guidance updated to allow all those with an interest in the supply of veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland to prepare for the requirements under EU veterinary medicine regulations that will come into effect in Northern Ireland on 1 January 2026.
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First published.