2 March 2005
ILLEGAL VETERINARY DRUGS DUMPED ON WASTE GROUND
Medicines Enforcement Officers working for the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety have uncovered a large quantity of unauthorised veterinary medicines.
The medicines, which were dumped on waste ground close to the Lough Neagh shore in the Cookstown area, comprised around 2,000 bottles of antibiotics, stored in large barrels
Martin McIlveen, Senior Investigator, Medicines Enforcement, said: "This matter is of great concern to the Department, as these potentially harmful materials were easily accessible to members of the public using this area.
"The general public need to be protected from the unscrupulous people who manufacture these illegal products, which are often destined for use in food-producing animals. Farmers and others who use veterinary medicines must only buy their medicines from reputable sources.
"We will continue to do our bit to clamp down on those selling illegal veterinary medicines and other unauthorised medicines. We would ask the general public to help us by being vigilant and reporting any suspicious activity."
This latest find comes only a few months after Medicines Enforcement Officers seized a massive quantity of unauthorised and counterfeit veterinary medicines from various locations across Northern Ireland and in the Republic. The seizure took place after a prolonged multi-agency operation, which was led by the DHSSPS, and was believed to be part of a major operation to manufacture illegal veterinary drugs. The investigation into that seizure is continuing.
Mr McIlveen said: "All veterinary medicinal products in the UK must be authorised. The body responsible for marketing authorisations is the Veterinary Medicines Directorate. The Department appeals to any farmer who has purchased a Veterinary Product, which does not have a VM number on its label, to contact the Department immediately."
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Products with a Marketing Authorisation are given unique numbers preceded by the letters "VM", therefore if a product does not have a VM number on its label it has not been authorised.
- A VM issued in respect of a legitimate product provides assurance to the user of that product’s safety, quality and efficacy. Such assurance is not available in respect of unauthorised products.
- It is the duty of the DHSSPS for NI to enforce the provisions of the Marketing Authorisations for Veterinary Medicinal Products Regulations 1994, as imposed by Sections 108 to 110 of The Medicines Act 1968, as appropriate.
- All veterinary medicinal products in the UK must be authorised. The body responsible for marketing authorisations is the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). All products which are presented for the treatment of prevention of disease in animals or which have that function must be authorised under the Terms of the Marketing Authorisations for Veterinary Medicinal Products Regulations 1994 before they can be legally sold in the UK.
- Photographs are available on request from the DHSSPS Press Office on 028 9052 0505.
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