Limitations on the sale of wormers in Ireland
17 May 2021
won't affect the UK
Here in the UK and in Ireland we currently make use of legislation that allows certain animal medicines like wormers to be sold over the counter in feed merchants and saddlers as well as being prescribed by Vets and Vet Pharmacists.
However, from 2022 there are changes ahead to remove these privileges in Ireland and adopt the EU regulation with the aim of tightening the sale of wormers. This comes after review by the Irish Department of Agriculture and the Health Products Regulatory Authority, which has identified conclusive evidence of widespread resistance to wormers.
A Department veterinary official is reported as saying: “Our focus is to make these products prescription-only medicines to encourage better and more responsible use. The reason we have the increased resistance is because of the way we have been using these medicines. There are certain practices that need to be followed to use these medicines responsibly and to get the best possible outcome.
Resistance is undoubtedly a huge issue facing the whole veterinary industry and these are the steps that Ireland felt they needed to take to address the problem in their country.
This decision will NOT affect the sale of wormers in the UK and there are no plans that we know of to change this legislation. Wormers here are classified as POM-VPS which means prescription only medicines that can be dispensed by a Vet, Vet Pharmacist or Suitably Qualified Person – also known as an SQP or Registered Animal Medicine Advisor (RAMA). They will still be available in stores where staff have attained the correct qualifications to prescribe and sell them.