Medicines (UK)
What is a farm medicine book, and what goes in it?
If you keep animals that produce food, such as sheep, cattle, goats, pigs or laying hens, you must record the veterinary medicines you buy, use and dispose of. This record is usually called the medicine book.
Who needs a medicine book?
Keepers of food-producing animals, including smallholders with only a few animals. Pet pigs, sheep and goats still count as food-producing animals in law.
What to record
When you buy or receive a medicine:
- The product name and batch number.
- The date you bought it and the quantity.
- The name and address of the supplier.
When you give a medicine:
- The product name and date given.
- The amount given.
- Which animals were treated.
- The withdrawal period, and the date the animals will be clear.
When you dispose of a medicine: the date, the quantity and how it was disposed of.
Wormers, vaccines and other products you give yourself must be recorded too, not just medicines from the vet.
How long to keep it
At least five years, even if the animals have gone.
Paper or digital?
Either is fine as long as it is complete, kept up to date and can be shown to an inspector or vet when asked.
Keeping it in Herdtrail
Each treatment you record in Herdtrail keeps the product, dose, date, the animal treated and the withdrawal date, and appears on that animal’s record and in the farm’s health list. You can export it to a spreadsheet at any time. Medicine stock, batch numbers on purchases and disposals are not tracked yet; we are building a full medicine book.