Access to veterinary services and treatments will still be available during the latest national lockdown, it has been confirmed.
Veterinary practices and businesses that help protect animal health and welfare are specifically allowed to remain open, government guidance shows.
People can leave home during the latest lockdown periods to ensure their animals’ health and welfare.
The National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) said access to veterinary medicines should not be affected by the UK's third lockdown.
"The veterinary profession will be able to deliver essential veterinary services," Dawn Howard, NOAH chief executive explained.
She said the latest lockdown would not revert to ‘emergency only’ as was the case in March 2020, during the UK's first lockdown.
"We will work with the profession and all those supplying animal health products and services to help ensure this can be done in a way that keeps professionals and animal owners alike, safe.”
The industry body has also published a ‘Covid-19 Animal Health Industry Best Practice Guideline’, which is updated regularly.
The guidance is designed to support animal health firms and their staff as they plan and restructure working activities around ongoing government guidance.
