The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has issued its first regular inspections and enforcement report covering October to November 2025. Published on GOV.UK, the update outlines case volumes, actions taken and recurrent compliance failures under the Veterinary Medicines Regulations (as amended) 2013, alongside guidance for veterinarians, retailers and feed operators.
Across the two‑month period, the VMD registered 200 new enforcement cases. Actions taken included five enforcement notices, 219 letters, the removal of 77 illegal online listings and the closure of 321 cases. The agency also confirmed 188 inspections spanning manufacturers, wholesalers, veterinary practices, Suitably Qualified Person (SQP) retailers and feed business operators.
Prescription fraud remains a substantial workload driver for the VMD’s intelligence unit. Between January 2023 and June 2025, 1,852 reports were logged; 84% related to altered prescriptions and 16% to fully fabricated documents. Products most often implicated include dermatitis treatments, anti‑inflammatories, cardiovascular medicines and parasiticides. The VMD reiterates that altering a written veterinary prescription without the prescriber’s permission is illegal and asks that suspected offences be reported via the GOV.UK tool.
Counterfeit flea treatments remain a concern in online channels. Following a joint VMD and Intellectual Property Office alert in June 2025, reporting increased sevenfold-from six reports across all prior data to 49, with 11 in October–November 2025 alone. The VMD is undertaking intelligence analysis to support enforcement and has contacted several eBay sellers and other retailers identified through reports.
Inspections found that 18% of veterinary practices used medicines beyond their labelled broach limits. The VMD advises that in‑use periods must be observed; products should be marked with the date first opened or the ‘use by’ date at broach. Where the in‑use date is uncertain, the medicine should not be administered, and continued use beyond the broach limit constitutes an offence.
The five enforcement notices issued in the period related to seizures of illegally imported veterinary medicines, largely addressed to residential premises in Great Britain. Seized products included horse wormers, companion‑animal flea and tick treatments and anti‑inflammatories. The VMD has published individual seizure notices on GOV.UK to detail the products and consignments involved.
The VMD continues to receive reports of prescription‑only medicines being sold by unauthorised retailers and on social media. There were 55 such reports in 2024 and a further 52 in 2025. In 2024 the split was 21.8% online marketplaces, 36.4% social media and 41.8% other routes; in 2025 it shifted to 5.8%, 26.9% and 67.3% respectively. An intelligence‑led project is being launched to reduce these cases, and listings for partly used or leftover medicines have been removed from platforms including Facebook Marketplace and Vinted.
The legal position is unambiguous. Selling or supplying prescription‑only medicines through unauthorised retailers or social media is unlawful and may lead to VMD enforcement action. Purchases are often of products not authorised in the UK, which can amount to illegal importation by the buyer. The VMD warns that sourcing from unverified websites or marketplaces increases the risk of counterfeit or substandard products. Supplying leftover or partly used veterinary medicines is illegal; disposal should follow the product information leaflet.
Over October and November 2025, inspectors visited 188 sites spanning manufacturers, wholesalers, veterinary practices, SQP retailers and feed businesses handling medicated feed. The programme combined routine, first‑time and enforcement visits to assess compliance and address identified risks across the supply chain.
For manufacturers and wholesalers, the VMD highlighted cases where Wholesale Qualified Persons (WQPs) were not fulfilling all responsibilities. Wholesalers are directed to the Veterinary Medicines Regulations (as amended) 2013 and the VMD’s Good Distribution Practice for Veterinary Medicinal Products in Great Britain guidance, which set out expectations on quality systems, oversight and record‑keeping.
At feed businesses, inspectors identified issues supplying against medicated feed prescriptions at 18% of visits, requiring prescriber engagement and end‑to‑end traceability. Shortcomings in Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans were also recorded, with the report indicating issues at up to a quarter of inspections. Operators are expected to keep HACCP plans current to identify, evaluate and control major production risks.
Within veterinary practices, 21% of inspections found incomplete records for the prescribing or administration of medicines. The VMD points professionals to Regulation 23 of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 for required entries, emphasising traceability and clinical justification. Among SQP retailers, 11% of inspections raised concerns about prescribing at the time of supply for small quantities of intermediate medicated feed; SQPs must confirm domestic rather than production use. A further 11% showed inadequate ambient‑temperature monitoring; medicines must be stored per label conditions with temperature records maintained, for example via max/min thermometers or data loggers.
The VMD encourages the public and professionals to report suspected breaches through the online tool on GOV.UK. While individual feedback is not provided, reports inform investigations and enforcement. Formal enforcement notices are published online for 12 months. The October–November 2025 note inaugurates a series of regular VMD reports to surface common breaches and set out enforcement outcomes. Queries can be directed to postmaster@vmd.gov.uk.