Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government will take to ensure that pet owners in Northern Ireland are not faced with increased cost or reduced access to familiar medicines following changes to veterinary medicine supply arrangements after 31 December 2025.

We appreciate that affordability and accessibility to obtain veterinary medicines for pet owners is of great importance. We also understand that online retailers may offer more affordable options. Through our extensive engagement across the supply chain, we have heard positive news from several pharmaceutical companies on their commitments not to raise prices. Also, through our engagements, we are aware of multiple companies who are either already established in Northern Ireland or are planning to set up as online retailers in Northern Ireland. This is expected to ensure medicines remain available through these online channels. We are also working to ensure that the Veterinary Medicine Internal Market Scheme operates in a way that reflects how consumers obtain medicines at present.