The NOAH Annual Review for 2021 and outlook for 2022 looks at the major opportunities and challenges faced last year and how these were addressed. The Review also looks at what is coming up in 2022 and how NOAH will be working to support its members.

With the Covid-19 pandemic continuing to provide the backdrop to NOAH’s activities, the NOAH team maintained ‘business as usual’ to deliver services for its members remotely throughout 2021.

Dawn Howard. NOAH chief executive, said: “As we entered 2021, the ink on the EU Exit deal signature was still damp on the paper. But there was much still to resolve, not least how the Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP) would apply to veterinary medicines – while some short-term certainty has been achieved, a long-term solution to regulatory and supply chain requirements for vet medicines for the NI market is still urgently needed. This remains a major concern for the industry and NOAH continues to seek a resolution.

“In 2022 the consultation for the revision of the UK Veterinary Medicines Regulations (VMR) is expected to launch, and discussion on the detail will form a major work area for NOAH. NOAH is keen for this to move forward without delay, as the UK regulations need to be updated.”

Mrs Howard said the UK VMR revision presents broader opportunities to explore potential partnerships further afield. This is against the backdrop of trade agreement discussions on a wider scale and is an opportunity the industry is looking to grasp.

She added: “A review of the NOAH Strategy by the board in March has now confirmed sustainability as a major thread for the association’s One Health approach – this covers not only the benefits NOAH member companies’ products can bring to a sustainability, but also what NOAH as an association can do to help bring about a greener future.

“NOAH will continue its work to support better animal health through a livestock vaccine project and will be reviewing the AMBP resources to bring them up to date in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.”

Mrs Howard said that Innovation in animal health goes beyond traditional animal medicines.

“Many NOAH members are engaged in new technologies including smart sensors that continually monitor an animal’s vital signs, to big data prediction technologies and smarter diagnostics. Some are working on nutritional supplements and on new vaccine technologies,” she said.

“During 2022 NOAH is reaching out to other companies involved in animal health to explain the benefits of NOAH membership, so we can all work together towards ensuring the UK is a good place for research – and for business.”