NOAH tightens rules on veterinary medicines

When a ban was first suggested, NOAH rallied against the plans but said it would enforce stricter rules on advertising to allay fears it was leading to the over use of certain antimicrobial products.

As a result, it has instructed all animal health companies to include the text ‘use medicines responsibly’ on all their advertising. A failure to do so could see firms disciplined for breaking the NOAH Code.

Other new rules include a requirement to clearly state the company name and brand being promoted and to state the withdrawal period but not in an ‘unduly prominent’ way. This is a direct response to fears farmers were putting pressure on vets to prescribe certain products for economic reasons such as shorter withdrawal periods, rather than seeking the best possible treatment.

NOAH chief executive Phil Sketchley said: “Whilst welcoming the Government’s decision in December not to further restrict the advertising of animal medicines, we feel the industry should take a proactive role to ensure the system works properly.

“We believe it is important for farmers, who are legally responsible for the health and welfare of their animals and the food produced from them, to be aware of the medicines that are available to protect the health of their animals, and at the same time we want them to know that these medicines must be prescribed and used properly.”

The Government’s plans to ban advertising of antimicrobial medicines to farmers last year sparked outrage in the industry and saw FG launch its campaign ‘Backing Britain’s Professional Farmers’.

The campaign lobbied MPs and gained support from farmers and vets against the proposed changes, which were eventually dropped by Defra in December.

Earlier this month the campaign won the prestigious publishing industry award, PPA Campaign of the Year at an awards ceremony in London beating off stiff competition from a number of other magazines.

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