Veterinary Medicines Directorate
Annual Report and Accounts 2025 to 2026
Annual Report and Accounts
Summary 2025-26
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), the UK regulator of
veterinary medicines, has today published its Annual Report and
Accounts for 2025 to 2026, setting out a year of strong
performance in protecting animal health and welfare, public
health, and the environment.
Delivering for animals and people
The VMD substantially met many of its core regulatory targets,
achieving 100% performance on national applications, this is up
from 96% the previous year, as well as 100% on inspections,
import and export schemes, and product defect handling.
Performance on other applications rose dramatically to 99%,
compared to 56% in 2024/25.
Across the 38 measures defined within the organisation's published standards,
22 were compliant 100% of the time. A further 13 were compliant
between 95% and 99%, 2 between 85% and 94% of the time. Only 1
standard fell below 85%.
This means that the VMD is assessing and processing applications
for medicines in a timely manner, so that medicines can get on
the market and start treating diseases.
Over the year, the VMD authorised 20 vaccines and issued 130
marketing authorisations for pharmaceutical products, supporting
disease prevention, food security and rural economies across the
UK.
Fighting illegal medicines online
The VMD's enforcement team removed more than 850 illegal listings
from online marketplaces, protecting animal owners and the public
from unsafe and unauthorised products.
Progress on antimicrobial resistance
The VMD continued to lead the veterinary component of the UK's
AMR National Action Plan, working across government, industry and
the veterinary profession as part of a One Health approach.
The latest Veterinary Antimicrobial Resistance and Sales
Surveillance (VARSS) report showed that total antibiotic sales
for food-producing animals have fallen by 57% since 2014 a
landmark achievement in tackling one of the most serious
long-term threats to both animal and human health.
A new surveillance pilot for healthy cats and dogs was also
launched this year, plugging key data gaps in antimicrobial
resistance surveillance.
Northern Ireland medicine supply
Working closely with Defra, devolved administrations and
industry, the VMD successfully managed the end of the Northern
Ireland grace period on 31 December 2025. No significant medicine
supply issues were identified, reflecting the efforts made by the
government and stakeholders to coordinate delivery.
Investing in people and systems
The VMD grew its workforce to over 207 full-time equivalent
staff, including expanding the biologicals team by five people to
handle the growing complexity of novel therapies and vaccines.
The organisation also maintained its internationally recognised
ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2022 certifications and continued
significant investment in digital modernisation.
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, scienceled regulation.
