A Lancashire-based company, which sells pet products, is set to enjoy a £1.4 million sales boost over the next five years.

VetPlus, which is based in Lytham, can enjoy this boost after the Government helped slash red tape preventing it selling to India.

The intervention by the Department for International Trade (DIT) could benefit businesses across the whole of the UK – as India has a pet population of over 29 million, according to industry estimates.

The DIT has worked with the Lancashire animal welfare and nutrition provider to resolve an existing trade barrier which made it difficult to export to India.

The Export Health Certificate required under the old regulations wasn’t compliant with UK legislation.

The DIT worked with the Government of India to resolve the issue and agree new language compatible with laws in both countries. 

Today’s win will make it easier for businesses like VetPlus to take advantage of this huge market and sell their products hassle free across India - an import market worth £2.4 billion, the Government has said.

It follows the launch of the UK-India Enhanced Trade Partnership last year, which is working to cut red tape for businesses and support UK jobs.

International Trade Minister, Ranil Jayawardena, said: “India is a dynamic and fast-growing trade partner and it’s fantastic to see first-hand how our enhanced trade partnership is helping to create brilliant opportunities for British businesses, supporting jobs in every corner of our country. 

“By eliminating barriers to trade, we can unlock new markets and create opportunities for businesses like VetPlus to sell their great British products in major markets worldwide.”

VetPlus is a family-owned business founded in 1995 and is a global leader in veterinary nutraceuticals, with distributors in more than 40 countries and a presence on every continent. 

More than 90 per cent of its products are made in-house at its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Lytham which supports 260 jobs worldwide and 120 in the area.

Anthony Sewart, VetPlus Regional Manager, Eastern Europe, the Middle East & Africa, said: “Being able to meet the different regulatory and compliance requirements across the markets we operate in is extremely important to ensure the consistent supply and availability of our products for vets and pet owners. 

“Recently, we ran into a challenge in exporting our products to India. The changes to requirements for the Export Health Certificate meant that we were temporarily unable to get our products to our Indian distribution partner.

“Levels of complexity meant that acquiring the correct documentation could have been a time-consuming task.

“It was essential that we were able to resolve it quickly, to ensure that pet owners were able to obtain the nutraceutical products their pets needed without breaks to their treatment support. 

“The support from the DIT was fantastic. They were able to put us in touch with the right people to help us liaise with the Indian authorities and facilitate the appropriate documentation to enable VetPlus to re-start the export of our products to India.”

This is a prime example of how the Department for International Trade is helping businesses access the benefits of free trade, a DIT spokesperson claimed.

Earlier this year the UK launched negotiations on a new UK-India Free Trade Agreement, a comprehensive trade deal with India offers the opportunity to deepen the already strong relationship, which was worth £24.3 billion in 2021.

The fourth round of negotiations on a UK-India Free Trade Agreement recently concluded. 

The International Trade Secretary has also today announced an ambition to unlock £20 billion worth of trade by resolving a hit list of around 100 priority trade barriers.

This will allow world-leading UK products and services to reach hundreds of millions of new customers around the world.