What a great question! And it made me think as we’ve never been asked this one before…until now, that is!

The answer isn’t laid down in law as a “black and white” answer so I thought I would write this short blog in case anyone else has the same question. Here are the facts….

The legal definition of a child in England is anyone under the age of 18. Some medicines state on their directions for use to “keep out of the reach of children”. Section 27 of the Code of Practice states that it is the legal responsibility of the SQP to ensure that the responsibilities for prescription and supply are complied with. So you must always read the data sheet carefully while thinking about whether to supply or not.

Also note that Section 33 of the Code of Practice requires the SQP to assess, for each animal, whether the customer knows how to use the product safely.

So our recommendation is to go with the age of 18, while remembering all the other obligations that come with responsible prescribing.

Hope that helps!