104.Subsection (1) requires that Ministers who have responsibility for regulating veterinary products (principally, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food acting through the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, an executive agency of MAFF) must consult the Agency on general policy matters relating to this work.
105.Subsection (3) allows the Secretary of State and the Minister to disclose to the Agency any information they have on matters connected with veterinary products, even if it was obtained by them pursuant to any enactment. In particular, this means that they can override the general restriction in the Medicines Act 1968 and secondary legislation based on it on disclosures of information relating to veterinary products (provided, for example, by businesses in connection with a licence application).
106.The further disclosure or publication of the information provided to the Agency under this sub-section is not prohibited by any statutory provision, and thus, subject to section 19(3) of the Act, the Agency may publish it or disclose it to other public authorities.
107.Subsection (4) applies this section to Northern Ireland.
Commentary on Sections Section 29: Consultation on veterinary products