A veterinary clinic in Northern Ireland has been issued with an improvement notice by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD).
The notice was issued to Ballygawley Veterinary Clinic by the UK veterinary watchdog in relation to the contravention of a number of sections to the Veterinary Medicines Regulation 2013.
Four separate regulations were deemed to be breached by the practice in question.
The contravening practices related to the supply of unauthorised veterinary medicinal products; the wholesale dealing of these products to other veterinary practice premises without a wholesale dealers licence and the advertising of such products – as well as authorised human products for administration to animals on price lists.
Another practice found to be breaking regulation was “the supply of veterinary medicinal products to farms where there is insufficient evidence to show that the animals are under the veterinary surgeon’s care and that clinical assessments are being made prior to the supply of veterinary medicinal products”.
Required improvements
In the notice a number of improvements are required of the practice.
These include the removal of all unauthorised veterinary medicinal products and authorised human products from price lists as well as the cessation of all wholesale activities, with updated copies of price lists to be sent to the veterinary authority.
In addition, it was required that all supplies of Singvac and Botulism Vaccine must be in accordance with a valid Special Treatment Certificate and must only be supplied to the named farm and the volume state on the certificate must not be exceeded.
Special Treatment Certificates were ordered to be in place prior to supply.
The issued document stipulated that all supplies must cease until such time as procedures have been implemented to ensure that all supplies occur in accordance with the certificates, with copies of all training and procedures to be provided to the VMD.
“Adequate records must be put in place to demonstrate that clinical assessments occur and that all animals which are supplied veterinary medicinal products by this practice are under the care of the practice,” the improvement order stated.
“Details of the out of hours/emergency coverage provisions put in place for each farm client must be recorded and a list of farms and the veterinary practice providing the cover on behalf of Ballygawley Veterinary Clinic are to be provided to the VMD.”
