Antiparasitic veterinary medicinal products became prescription-only medicines with effect from 1 December 2025. Anyone purchasing these products from this date require a prescription issued by a registered veterinary practitioner. Veterinary practitioners registered in Ireland must use the National Veterinary Prescription System (NVPS) to prescribe a prescription only medicine, such as an antiparasitic product.
Veterinary practitioners registered solely in Northern Ireland cannot register to use the NVPS, as to register for the NVPS a veterinary practitioner must work in a premises that has a Certificate of Suitability issued by the Veterinary Council of Ireland, which regulates veterinary practices in Ireland.
Northern Ireland veterinary practitioners can prescribe an antiparasitic veterinary medicinal product using a paper prescription and a licensed retail premises in the Ireland can dispense a product on receipt of a paper prescription. These products will not be recorded on the NVPS and records must be kept in line with S.I. 462/2024.
For GDPR concerns in relation to the NVPS, my Department has a Data Protection notice for the NVPS available on the gov.ie website under Data Protection Privacy Notices.
