Contact VMD

About contacting the VMD

Please review our guidance pages before considering submitting an enquiry. Below are links to guidance about commoncommonly questions,asked topics, including those not within our remit.

Please do not call us whereas the best way to ensure you get a full response, which can be used for future reference, is by email. If you do send an email please include keywords in the subject line to help us direct your query.

If you cannot find the information you need in the guidance you can email the team contacts listed here, that are on the subject page, or postmaster@vmd.gov.uk.

Sometimes we may need longer to respond, for example if you are asking for complex information or we need to involve a third party. If we are unable to respond within this timescale, we will let you know.

We publish our monthly performance against our service standard on our webpage webpage General Enquiries Service Standard Data.

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Media enquiries

Please direct any media enquiries related to the work of the VMD to newsdesk@defra.gov.uk.

Importing and Exporting

Only authorised persons can import or export veterinary medicines. The special import, export, and batch release schemes are all digital services and we only deal with these queries by email. Please do not call us about matters in relation to any of these schemes:

• importcert@vmd.gov.uk
• exportcert@vmd.gov.uk
• batchr@vmd.gov.uk

Online only services:

• The Special Import Scheme - please note a new service was launched in July 2024 so you may need to reregister register.to use the new service. Refer to our news item; Further changes to our special imports digital service.

• Export certificates

Managing your Marketing Authorisations and submitting applications

• Guidance about Marketing Authorisations

Application management is a digital service and we only deal with queries by email to ensure the security and confidentiality of commercial information. Submit your enquiry to s.response@vmd.gov.uk.

If you are a Marketing Authorisation holder, you can report a current or foreseen UK supply problem with one of your medicines.medicines using this form.

Medicines record keeping

• Guidance on Record keeping when supplying or using a veterinary medicine, including horses

Paying an invoice, including residues surveillance

• Payment details can be found on the Application fees page which includes fees charged for specific activities. The charges for residues surveillance are set out in GB legislation.

Premises registered or certified by VMD

• How to register Veterinary Practices and common issues we find during inspections

• How to legally run a Wholesale Dealer business and find a full list of registered wholesale dealers

• How to apply for approval of Retailer premises for a Suitably Qualified Person and find a full list of registered SQP Retailer Premises

• The VMD maintain a Register of Online Retailers of veterinary medicines. All internet retailers and online suppliers must now be registered with the VMD. Refer to Sell veterinary medicines on the internet

• Veterinary Medicines Registers: manufacturing and distribution

Prescriptions and dispensing

• Guidance for vets, pharmacists and Suitably Qualified Persons (SQP) on General prescribing queries

• For guidance on the prescribing and use of CBD, email legislation@vmd.gov.uk

Record keeping, storage and disposal of Controlled Drugs

• Information on prescribing, supplying, storage and disposal of Controlled drugs and the Misuse of Drugs Regulations as they relate to veterinary medicines

Report an adverse reaction to veterinary medicine

Anyone can report an unexpected reaction to an animal medicine, even if it is a listed known possible side effect. You can also report it if you suspect the veterinary medicines hasn’t worked. You can report a problem by:

• telling your vet 
• contacting the marketing authorisation holder, or the holder’s local representative - their contact details are on the leaflet that came with the medicine

Sales (legal and illegal) of veterinary medicines

• To check whether a veterinary medicine is legal read the guidance: Legal controls on veterinary medicines

• To check if a veterinary medicine is authorised in the UK, go to our Product Information Database

• How to Report illegal medicine sales and find information about how we deal with these reports

• Guidance on the legal requirements for the sale of veterinary medicines on the internet and the VMD Accredited Internet Retailer Scheme

• Guidance on the Retail of medicines

• Guidance on Record keeping and storage of Controlled Drugs

• How to Report an animal product (other than a medicine) being marketed as a medicine

Help with VMD online services

• Technical service helpdesk

Making a complaint

We cannotcan help with queriescomplaints relatingabout to:our service, the way we operate, or how an application for marketing authorisations has been handled.

• Information on the Complaints procedure

What we cannot help with

• Complaints about a veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse. The VMD does not deal with complaints about how your animal has been treated, including what products were used and costs. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) is the registration body for veterinary surgeons and nurses. See further information on their Code of Conduct and about how to raise a concern

• Pet Travel
  • Information is available from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA):
  • Bringing your pet dog, cat or ferret to Great Britain: Overview
  • Taking your pet dog, cat or ferret abroad: Overview

• Individual clinical advice, as the specific treatment of an animal is best determined by the veterinary professional under whose care they fall. For advice on specific cases, general product advice or when considering off-label use, we advise veterinary professionals to contact the market authorisation holder

• Pet food/Animal feed - Refer to the Food Standard Agency

• Regulatory decisions made by other jurisdictions or their regulatory processes. Please refer to the relevant agency for the jurisdiction in each country

• Animal health - Refer to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)

• Reporting a problem with a microchip. You can report an unexpected reaction to a microchip implantation to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

  • Contact microchipping@defra.gov.uk with any queries to do with a reaction or problem with a microchip. 

If you’re not sure which Defra department you need, go to Contact Defra - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Speak to someone at the VMD

The best way to contact us is by email.email at postmaster@vmd.gov.uk

If ityou iswould criticallike to speak to someone you can ask for a call back in your email or use the call back request form.

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Please note, when calling the VMD, this is not a switchboard serviceservice, and the call handler will not be a specialist, and will not be able to transfer your call.

The following are digital services, so all enquiries are dealt with via email and the call-back service is not available:

• special import certificates (not related to technical website issues)
• export certificates
• batch release schemes
• authorisation applications