New regulations to assure that the medicines animal owners purchase for their pets and horses are safe were announced in late December 2010 by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), an agency of Great Britain's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The new controls will mean that only approved websites will be legally allowed to dispense and supply veterinary medicinal products. Customers will be able to see if websites are deemed approved by looking for a logo which all registered websites will display.

"Some medicines are being sold by 'rogue' traders and without any advice being provided," said John Fitzgerald, director of operations at the VMD. "This irresponsible retailing of medicines risks animals' health, which is why these new controls are crucial … If people are buying vet medicines from online retailers, they should only use websites registered with VMD so they know the medicine is correctly prescribed and dispensed for their pets."

Following the implementation of the controls, online retailers will be expected to demonstrate compliance with the regulations concerning dispensing, supply, and advertising of veterinary medicines