Veterinary Medicines; Information on Monitoring Distribution

In Bavaria, the district administrative authorities and the Bavarian Control Authority for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs (KBLV) are responsible for monitoring compliance with pharmaceutical regulations by animal owners and veterinarians.

Medicines are used in both human and veterinary medicine to treat diseases and to influence bodily functions and conditions. However, the public has mixed feelings about the use of medications in veterinary medicine, particularly when they are administered to animals raised for food.
There is no doubt that our pets have a right to veterinary care. This is enshrined in law under the Animal Welfare Act. For pet owners, it goes without saying that effective medicines should be available for their pets in the event of illness. However, the same must also apply to the care of our farm animals. Nevertheless, the use of veterinary drugs in these animals is often viewed critically and is predominantly portrayed negatively in the media. The legal regulations governing the use of medications in food-producing animals, however, ensure that the safety of the food derived from these animals is guaranteed.

The legal framework governing veterinary medicines is found in European and national law, with monitoring and enforcement carried out by the federal government and, in particular, the states.

At the EU level, Regulation (EU) 2019/6 of the European Parliament and of the Council of December 11, 2018, on veterinary medicinal products (EU Veterinary Medicinal Products Regulation) has been in effect since January 28, 2022. In Germany, it is supplemented by the “Act on the Marketing of Veterinary Medicinal Products and on the Implementation of Union Provisions Concerning Veterinary Medicinal Products”—the “Veterinary Medicinal Products Act” (TAMG) for short.
There are also a number of special regulations governing veterinary medicinal products, for example:

• Regulation on the Use and Documentation of Medicines by Animal Owners
• Regulation on Veterinary Dispensaries
• Guidelines for the Prudent Use of Antimicrobial Veterinary Medicines

On the one hand, veterinary drug regulations ensure that our animals have access to medications; on the other hand, they ensure that the use of these medications does not cause harm to consumers of food derived from animals.
For this reason, domestic animals are generally classified into two categories: those that are (potentially) used for food production, and those that are kept as pets and are in no way intended for consumption.

For animals used for food production, only those veterinary drugs may be used whose active ingredients have been tested and evaluated for their residue behavior in food products derived from animals (meat, eggs, milk). After administering these medications, a withdrawal period must be observed if necessary, during which the animal may not be slaughtered and products from that animal (e.g., milk or eggs) may not be used for human consumption.
These restrictions do not apply to companion animals.  

A veterinarian may dispense veterinary and—in certain cases—human medications in the necessary quantities to the owners of the animals they are treating as part of the operation of a veterinary dispensary. In this case, animal owners must administer the medications in accordance with the veterinarian’s treatment instructions. Veterinary drugs obtained from a pharmacy or retailer without the involvement of a veterinarian may only be used in accordance with their approval conditions (see package insert).

For animals used for food production, records of all medications administered must be kept in accordance with legal requirements.  The veterinarian issues a veterinary prescription and provides it to the animal owner immediately. The documentation must be retained by the animal owners and the treating veterinarians for 5 years and presented to the competent authorities upon request.