The Competition Commission has initiated a mapping exercise in the veterinary pharmaceutical sector due to the observed cost increases in animal farming in recent years. This move aims to analyze the competition conditions in veterinary pharmaceutical products (VPP) and their effects on the food production value chain.

The VPP sector includes drugs for animals used for preventive, therapeutic, or diagnostic purposes, as well as any medicated feed and medicated animal feed additives.

The mapping exercise's objective is to capture the value chain and competition conditions prevailing in this specific sector.

According to Eurostat, both the composite animal feed price index and the veterinary expenditure index in Greece have shown an increasing trend since 2020. Specifically, the composite animal feed index rose from 96 units in 2020 to 127 units by the third quarter of 2023 (a 33% increase), while the veterinary expenditure index increased from 104 units in 2020 to 117 units by the third quarter of 2023 (a 13% increase).