NOAH welcomes no-deal Brexit plan publication

Trade body for the animal medicine industry NOAH says it welcomes the publication of the government’s no-deal Brexit plan.

Noah however says it remains ‘very concerned’ about the lack of sufficient time to execute a smooth EU exit process without interruption to the availability of vital veterinary medicines.

Gaynor Hillier, chair of NOAH, said: “The production and supply of veterinary medicines is totally dependent on complex international supply chains that must continue to function effectively after Brexit, their unique status being recognised in the recent government white paper.

“Raw materials will need to arrive at manufacturing sites and veterinary medicines will need to be transported across borders to meet market requirements. Any border delays, additional complex processes or increased costs will risk medicines availability for UK vets, farmers and all our animals”.

According to a recent NOAH member survey, less than 15% of companies say they are prepared for a hard Brexit with the vast majority of respondents saying they are not fully prepared should there be a reversion to WTO rules on 30 March 2019.

Almost 60% of companies said they are prepared for a transition period to December 2020. Noah says even then, the proposed transition period will not be enough in some cases, “to make informed business decisions”.