Suitably qualified persons in practice

The Suitably Qualified Person (SQP) qualification in the UK has been in place since 2009. The qualification came into practice when the Veterinary Medicines Act 2005 replaced The Medicines Act 1968 (Animal Medical Training Regulatory Authority, 2013). Subsequent consultations have looked at the introduction of further classifications such as the Prescription Only Medication — Extended Administration (POM-EA) for long-term use of parasite control, but through pressure from professional bodies the system has remained the same since its introduction in 2005 (British Veterinary Association, 2013a). It has given rise to more outlets being able to supply preventative treatments (mainly anthelmintics) to owners, pet owners and farmers. There has been much recent debate about whether this has directly increased the level of resistance to these active ingredients, or whether better understanding of resistance needs to be increased between all of those bodies that are able to prescribe (British Veterinary Association, 2013a; Over the counter, 2013).