VMD publishes Annual Report for 2025-2026
Abigail Seager describes a 'complex and demanding year' for the VMD.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has now published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2025-2026.
The regulator says that it had ‘substantially’ met its core regulatory targets, including tackling illegal medicine sales and making progress on reducing antimicrobial resistance.
In this year’s report, the VMD states that it achieved a 100 per cent performance rate on national applications – an increase from the 96 per cent rate recorded for 2024-2025. It also records 100 per cent performance on inspections, import and export schemes and product defect handling.
There was also an increase in its performance with other applications, up from 56 per cent in 2024-2025 to 99 per cent in 2025-2026.
These statistics mean that the VMD has been assessing and processing medicines applications in a timely manner. Throughout the year, it assessed 3,601 National Applications and 7,487 other applications.
This saw the VMD authorise 20 vaccines and issue 130 marketing authorisations for pharmaceutical products.
The VMD has also been leading the veterinary arm of the UK’s AMR National Action Plan. This has seen the regulator work across government, industry and the veterinary profession.
It cites data from the Veterinary Antimicrobial Resistance and Sales Surveillance (VARSS) report, which found that total antibiotic sales for food-producing animals had fallen by 57 per cent since 2014.
Among the VMD’s AMR efforts this year is a surveillance pilot for healthy cats and dogs. The regulator said this initiative would fill data gaps in antimicrobial resistance surveillance.
The VMD further reflected on its management of the medicines supply issues in Northern Ireland.
Abigail Seager, chief executive of the VMD, said: “This has been a complex and demanding year for the VMD, shaped by global animal disease pressures, antimicrobial resistance, and continued regulatory and operational change following the Windsor Framework.
“Throughout the year, we have remained focused on our core purpose: protecting animal health and welfare, safeguarding public health, and minimising risks to the environment through proportionate, science led regulation.”
The full Annual Report and Accounts for 2025 to 2026 can be found here.
Image © Sooksaard/Shutterstock.com
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
