With the draft law to amend the Veterinary Medicines Act and the Pharmacy Act (Federal Council Document 359/25), which is largely set to enter into force on January 1, 2026, the legislator is advancing the adaptation to EU legal requirements in the field of veterinary medicine. The main objective is to combat the problem of antibiotic resistance. The reform package presents veterinarians and pharmacies with new legal and organizational challenges that will have noticeable effects on everyday care practices.
Ban on Mail-Order Sales of Prescription Veterinary Medicines
A central element of the legislative reform initiative is the introduction of a new Section 44a of the Act on the Trade in Veterinary Medicines and the Implementation of EU Provisions Concerning Veterinary Medicinal Products (Veterinary Medicines Act – TAMG), which generally prohibits the mail-order sale of prescription veterinary medicines. The aim is to ensure controlled dispensing and compliance with storage and transport conditions. In the future, pharmacies may only make prescription veterinary medicines available on the market by mail order if the medicines are intended for animals not used for food production and the pharmacy has been granted official authorization for mail-order sales. The law will also provide a narrowly defined exception in favor of veterinarians – for example, when short-term follow-up treatment of animals not used for food production is necessary within the scope of a veterinary practice’s in-house pharmacy. In addition, the draft law contains strict statutory requirements regarding the packaging, transport, and traceability of shipments in the mail-order distribution of veterinary medicines.
New Reporting Obligations for Veterinarians on the Use of Antibiotics
Another key focus of the draft law is the expanded documentation of the use of antimicrobial medicinal products. With the introduction of the new Sections 61a and 61b TAMG, veterinarians will in the future be required to provide detailed information on the type, quantity, animal species, and period of application whenever antibiotics are used in certain animal species. These reports must be submitted annually and will be collected by the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL). The BVL will analyze the data, prepare risk reports, and transmit information, among others, to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). In line with the legislator’s intent, this measure aims to establish a significantly improved data basis for monitoring the development of antibiotic resistance and implementing targeted countermeasures.
Enhanced Controls and Sanctions
The substantive reforms are accompanied by an expansion of supervisory and enforcement powers. In the future, customs authorities are to be involved in monitoring the cross-border movement of veterinary medicines. According to the new Section 76a TAMG, customs authorities will explicitly participate in overseeing the import and export of veterinary medicines, veterinary medical products, and active substances within the scope of the Act and will be granted specific powers for this purpose.
Violations of the mail-order ban or of the reporting obligations may also be prosecuted as administrative offenses.
Outlook for Practice
For veterinarians and pharmacies, the reform represents a significant tightening of the legal framework. In particular, the ban on mail-order sales is likely to have practical consequences for the supply of animal owners and will require new logistical solutions. The expanded reporting obligations necessitate the establishment of reliable documentation processes. In the long term, the reform may lead to greater transparency in the trade of medicinal products and to more effective monitoring of antimicrobial resistance. It thus forms part of the broader societal strategy to combat antimicrobial resistance. At the same time, it challenges veterinary practices to professionalize their processes and establish new compliance standards. Moreover, the stricter regulatory requirements governing the dispensing of prescription veterinary medicines could also have a negative impact on the sales of manufacturers of the affected medicinal products.
