What temperature should veterinary medicines be stored at in the UK?

What does the law say about storing veterinary medicines?

The rule is Schedule 3, paragraph 3E of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013, on legislation.gov.uk. A retailer of veterinary medicinal products must store them “(including during transport)” in line with any specific instructions on the label and the relevant summary of product characteristics (SPC).

Legislation.gov.uk shows that paragraph 3E was inserted by the Veterinary Medicines (Amendment etc.) Regulations 2024 (SI 2024/567) and came into force on 17 May 2024. It applies in England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland has its own version of the regulations.

The VMD’s blog post of 13 August 2026 puts it simply: temperature control of veterinary medicines “is no longer just good practice, it is a legal requirement”. The VMD says this covers any premises that store or transport medicines in all categories: POM-V, POM-VPS, NFA-VPS and AVM-GSL.

This guide explains the regulator’s published guidance. It is not legal advice. For a specific practice, check with your RCVS Practice Standards assessor, your Named Veterinary Surgeon or the VMD.

What temperature ranges does the VMD expect?

The VMD’s August 2026 post gives three figures.

• Cold chain: 2 to 8 °C. The VMD says you “must store cold chain products between 2°C and 8°C”. Its guidance on registering and inspecting veterinary practice premises gives the same range for vaccines and some other products.
• Ambient: below 25 °C. The VMD says most ambient products should stay below 25 °C. The label sets the condition for each product, so check it.
• Not too cold: avoid below 12 °C. The VMD recommends avoiding ambient storage below 12 °C, because this is close to the dew point in many indoor rooms. It says condensation can damage packaging, make labels hard to read and encourage mould.

The VMD also says medicines must be protected from freezing. It names poor cleaning, ice build-up and overstocked fridges as common causes, because products pushed against the fridge walls can freeze.

What records do VMD inspectors ask for?

The VMD says inspectors commonly see records for cold chain products, but practices “must now also provide records” showing that ambient storage stays within the required range. It also says inspectors ask for evidence of correct storage “in every location where you keep them”, and that every storage location needs a suitable temperature monitoring device.

For fridges, including vaccine fridges and vehicle fridges, the VMD says you should record the minimum and maximum temperatures daily and reset the thermometer after each reading. For ambient storage areas, it says you should record minimum and maximum temperatures daily. It adds that ambient checks could drop to weekly where temperatures stay consistently stable, and should increase when extreme weather is forecast.

The VMD’s guidance on record keeping for veterinary medicines says records “must be durable, permanent” and may be kept electronically. It sets a period of at least five years for medicines records for food-producing animals. It does not give a retention period for temperature records, so decide one with your practice and write it down.

Do the rules cover vehicles and branch surgeries?

Yes. Paragraph 3E says “including during transport”, and the VMD says your responsibilities “do not end when medicines leave the premises”. Its August 2026 post says you must show suitable storage conditions throughout transport, including in vehicles. It names deliveries, vets visiting clients away from the practice, and medicines moved between a main branch and a smaller branch.

The VMD’s guidance on veterinary practice premises says that where a premises or vehicle is likely to go above 25 °C, maximum and minimum temperatures should be monitored and recorded.

Why is a min/max thermometer not enough?

The VMD recommends, at a minimum, a digital thermometer that shows the current temperature and the minimum and maximum since it was last reset. But it is clear about the limit: a min/max reading “does not give you any indication of the duration of any excursion”. The VMD says the practice then cannot tell whether a spike lasted a few minutes, a few hours or longer.

That matters when deciding whether stock is still fit to use. A reading of 27 °C for ten minutes during a delivery is a different question from 27 °C all afternoon.

What does the VMD say about data loggers and smart thermometers?

The VMD says data loggers can replace manual min/max thermometers, but “you must set them up correctly” to identify excursions and generate alerts when temperatures go outside acceptable limits. For refrigerated storage, it says to download and review the data at least weekly, with readings roughly every 15 to 30 minutes.

The VMD says data loggers “do not replace daily checks”. Staff must still confirm the devices are working and that no alerts have been triggered.

On smart thermometers that record over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, the VMD says that when configured properly they can give automatic alerts, and that you should check the system suits your storage, your connectivity and whether staff are available to respond. Where a third-party service monitors for you, the VMD says responsibility “remains with the holder” to respond to alerts, keep records and have them ready for inspection.

How do you keep medicines in range during a heatwave?

The VMD’s August 2026 post gives practical steps.

• Mind the height. The VMD says heat rises, so higher shelves and storage under skylights or beside windows should be avoided in hot weather.
• Move the air. The VMD says fans can help, but you still need to think about where medicines are stored.
• Small cabinets. For enclosed spaces such as a controlled drugs cabinet, the VMD suggests a frozen ice pack wrapped in bubble wrap or a towel, so it does not touch the medicines.
• Light. The VMD says some products must be protected from light, including artificial light, unless the label says direct sunlight only. It warns against relying on bottle colour alone.
• Fridges are for medicines. The VMD says medicines and vaccine fridges must not be used for staff food.

The VMD says inspectors can seize veterinary medicines if storage conditions may have compromised their safety or effectiveness.

Who in the practice is responsible?

The VMD says temperature monitoring “should not be the responsibility of just one person”. Everyone who stores, handles or transports veterinary medicines should know how temperatures are monitored and recorded, the acceptable ranges, who to report problems to, and what to do when a temperature goes out of range.

A short written procedure helps: where each sensor or thermometer is, the range for each room and fridge, who checks it each day, and who is called when it alarms. That is also what an inspector will want to see.