Veterinary Medicines Directorate

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is an Executive Agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) seeking to protect public health, animal health, the environment and promoting animal welfare by assuring the safety, quality and efficacy of veterinary medicines in the United Kingdom.

The VMD is responsible for:

VMD was first established in 1989 and from 1990 was a Next Steps Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF). It became an Executive Agency of Defra on 7 June 2001.

The work of VMD is divided into three main areas, or "businesses":

Operational costs are recovered through charges to the veterinary pharmaceutical industry, the food industry, and Defra.

During 2003/2004 operational costs totalled £11,960,000:

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