Charity issues clarity call over parasiticide review

Campaigners and academics have called for clarity over a planned review of parasiticide treatments’ environmental impact, after a Government agency backed the idea.

The VMD pledged its support for a fresh examination of international guidelines on the issue in January after researchers suggested a potential link between the products and increased chick mortality rates.

The Songbird Survival charity, which funded that study, has described the directorate’s stance as a “positive step”.

‘Clear timeframe’

But its chief executive, Susan Morgan, said: “We now need a clear timeframe for when this review will happen.”

VMD officials said the review’s timetable would be set by the International Cooperation on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Veterinary Medicinal Products (VICH) and its secretariat.

VICH officials told Vet Times its steering committee was “currently considering a review”, although a timeframe had yet to be determined.

Warning

But Dave Goulson, professor of biology at the University of Sussex and a member of the study team, warned against any further delay to the process.

He said: “The environmental impacts of drugs used on pets have been overlooked for too long.

“There is an urgent need to evaluate the pros and cons of alternatives so that pet owners can be advised as to the most sustainable option.”