The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), the UK regulator for animal medicines, has replaced its Accredited Internet Retailer Scheme (AIRS) with new logos for registered online sellers of veterinary medicines. The change was announced on October 30, 2026 and applies to businesses in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. If your pet shop, feed store or online store sells wormers, flea treatments or other animal medicines on the web, it is worth checking your site this week.
What has changed
According to the VMD’s announcement, AIRS ended on October 30, 2026. The AIRS register has been taken off the VMD website and the old AIRS logo is no longer valid. Retailers in Great Britain should swap it for the new VMD Registered Online Retailer logo, which links straight to the VMD’s Register of Online Retailers so customers can check a seller’s details.
Northern Ireland is different. Under the Windsor Framework, EU Regulation 2019/6 applies there, so registered sellers established in Northern Ireland use the Northern Ireland common logo instead, on every page where veterinary medicines are offered for sale. The VMD says it has written to every registered GB and NI online retailer with the right logo files, and its guidance asks sellers to use the original file rather than copying the image from GOV.UK.
Who needs to be registered
The VMD’s guidance on selling veterinary medicines online says internet retailers must register with the VMD before selling medicines in three categories online: POM-V, POM-VPS and NFA-VPS. NFA-VPS products can be supplied by a vet, pharmacist or suitably qualified person (SQP), which is why the rules matter to plenty of pet and equine retailers, not just vets and pharmacies. Registration is not needed to sell AVM-GSL (general sale) medicines online, or products covered by the Schedule 6 exemption for small pet animals.
To register you need the premises identification number (a VMD site number, RCVS registration number or GPhC registration number), contact details for the business and for someone who can discuss the registration, the URL of every website you sell from, and the address you store and dispatch the medicines from. The VMD says it will be in touch within 10 working days, and you must not supply those categories online until it confirms the registration.
What to do now
- Check that your business and every website you sell from are on the VMD register, and send any changes to [email protected].
- Take the AIRS logo off your site and put up the correct GB or NI logo, linked to the VMD register.
- Show the statement “Registered Online Retailer of Veterinary Medicines” and the VMD’s contact statement wherever these medicines are offered. The VMD strongly encourages putting the logo in your footer so it appears on every page.
- Test the logo and its link on desktop and mobile.
It’s a fairly quick job, but an old AIRS badge left in a footer now points customers at a scheme that no longer exists. If you’re reviewing your animal health range at the same time, you can compare pet health and supplement suppliers, including Johnson’s Veterinary Products, Verm-X and Dorwest Herbs, alongside other pet trade suppliers in the United Kingdom. Pet shops in England also need an animal activity license, which our licensing guide covers.
Source: gov.uk
