Northern Ireland Risks Losing Veterinary Medicines, Lords Say

Irina Anghel, Bloomberg News

$Cows graze on a pasture at a family-run dairy farm in Aherla, County Cork, Ireland, on Monday, June 26, 2023. Feed additives like Bovaer, produced by biosciences giant DSM-Firmenich, have long been presented as a solution that could someday ease the daunting climate math facing beef and dairy. Photographer: Paulo Nunes dos Santos/Bloomberg$

Cows graze on a pasture at a family-run dairy farm in Aherla, County Cork, Ireland, on Monday, June 26, 2023. Feed additives like Bovaer, produced by biosciences giant DSM-Firmenich, have long been presented as a solution that could someday ease the daunting climate math facing beef and dairy. Photographer: Paulo Nunes dos Santos/Bloomberg , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Northern Ireland stands to lose a third of its veterinary medicines due to Brexit rules, posing a threat to public health and risking food supply chain disruptions in the UK, lawmakers warned.

In a letter to Steve Baker, a minister in the Northern Ireland Office, a House of Lords committee said on Tuesday it has received “serious concerns” about the potential impact of shortages.

Brexit rules require veterinary medicine makers to batch-test their products in the European Union before selling them in Northern Ireland. Medicines for farm animals and pets are currently covered by a grace period which ends on Dec. 31 2025, after which EU rules will come into force.

The cost of adapting to the new rules might lead manufacturers to reduce product ranges or even stop supplying Northern Ireland altogether, members of the Lords’ European Affairs Committee warned. About a third of veterinary medicine products are at risk, a slightly lower proportion than a previous estimate of 50% due to the possibility of rerouting supply lines through the Republic of Ireland.

“This is an issue of vital importance which affects everyone, regardless of political hue,” said Michael Jay, chair of The Windsor Framework Sub-Committee. “The Government has spoken of the need to make ‘rapid progress,’ and we are stressing the need for a positive and swift outcome within what is a tight timescale complicated by upcoming elections in the EU and UK.”

Animal medicine shortages would increase the risk of diseases that affect both animals and humans, like salmonella, while the loss of vaccines would cause a “public health emergency,” the letter said.

Veterinary medicine shortages would also hit food supply chains, limiting the ability of Northern Ireland farmers to sell their products abroad. That would result in job losses, as well as food security concerns in Great Britain which is among the top destinations for Northern Ireland beef or lamb. The letter called for the government to conduct its own analysis of the potential economic impact.

These disruptions would come on top of UK checks on fresh food imports from the EU coming into force on April 30. The fees involved risk stoking inflation, squeezing households at the supermarkets and adding pressure to restaurants.