A cross-party House of Lords committee report is calling for a ban on the general sale of off-the-shelf and unchecked online pet treatments for fleas and ticks.

The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee, in a report published today, argues that pet owners should receive a thorough assessment of the needs of their pets and advice about the potential health and environmental risks of pet parasiticides.

The committee found that the intensive and unnecessary overuse of Pet Parasite Medications (PPMs), often promoted by the pet pharmaceutical industry, is not supported by robust scientific evidence. Moreover, through their release into the environment from our homes, they are potentially causing widespread damage to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

The Committee is calling on the Government to:

• establish a clear and comprehensive evidence base on the use of PPMs, including the volume of products sold, the proportion of pets routinely treated, and the prevalence of pet parasites;

• ensure that research, with appropriate financial contributions from the pet pharmaceutical industry, addresses as a matter of priority the significant evidence gaps between the environmental impacts of PPMs and the potential risks to human health; 

• require more rigorous (Phase II) Environmental Risk Assessments for all existing and future PPMs as soon as possible;

• advocate for a more precautionary approach to PPM use to reduce the number of unnecessary treatments, particularly for low-risk animals. This includes strengthening advice and guidance, ensuring PPMs cannot be sold without qualified advice (including online), and making risks more visible on packaging. 

• review the relationship between the industry and UK and international veterinary medicine regulators, to ensure that any risk of regulatory capture is removed and give confidence that appropriate and independent guidance is prioritised; 

Baroness Sheehan, Chair of the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee, said: “Our report raises serious questions and concerns about the environmental risks of pet flea and tick treatments as well as how they are sold to pet owners. Their over-use on household pets is the equivalent of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. 

“The lack of scientific evidence and data, poor customer guidance and the relationship between the pet medication suppliers and regulators appear as murky as the waterways these flea treatments are polluting. 

“Pet owners deserve accurate evidence-based guidance on the need for, and risks of, the existing and new chemicals which are being prescribed and the impact they are having on their pets, home and the environment.”