The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 275 No 7381 p777
24/31 December 2005

Society summary

Society loses animal medicines inspectorate to Veterinary Medicines Directorate

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society's animal medicines inspectorate is to become part of the Government's Veterinary Medicines Directorate as from 1 January 2006, when the Society loses its statutory obligations in relation to animal medicines under the Medicines Act 1968.

The inspectorate is currently part of the Society’s Fitness to Practice and Legal Affairs Directorate. It has responsibility for ensuring that legal requirements and codes of practice are met in the manufacture of medicated and zootechnical animal feeds and in the sale of medicines and medicated feeds through agricultural merchants, saddlers and feed distributors. Much of this work is already carried out on behalf of the VMD.

The transfer of the inspectorate to the VMD is a consequence of the coming into force of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2005, which take over the control of animal medicines from the Medicines Act 1968. The VMD is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The role of the animal medicines inspectorate will remain unchanged in the short term but will be reviewed during 2006. The five inspectors will continue to operate regionally with their work co-ordinated by an administrative office in Warwickshire. The inspectorate is currently based at the Agricultural Centre at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire. It moved there from the Society’s London headquarters five years ago as part of an initiative to reduce costs.

The Society’s Secretary and Registrar, Ann Lewis, said: “The animal medicines inspectorate has been strategically relocated within DEFRA, with which the Society has long-standing links. The work of the inspectorate and the Society will continue to have substantial crossover with future working relationships clarified through a memorandum of understanding.

“Our thanks go to all animal medicines inspectorate staff who have made a considerable contribution to the work of the Society and to both animal and public health and will continue to do so in the future.”

The chief executive of the VMD, Steve Dean, said: “The move of the animal medicines inspectorate will reinforce the core strategic aims of the VMD and provide improvements to the co-ordination and scope of our enforcement activities. We welcome the inspectorate staff into the VMD and hope they will enjoy working as a part of our organisation. Equally so, we look forward to continuing our close and productive working relationship with the Society, which has proved beneficial for many years.”