Regulation No. 539 on the Authorization of Veterinarians to Prescribe Medications.

This Regulation addresses specific provisions regarding the authority of veterinarians to prescribe drugs. According to Article 2, Veterinary drugs may only be prescribed by veterinarians. According to Article 6, hormones may not be administered to livestock for the purpose of stimulating their growth or increasing yield, and may only be administered to animals when authorised by the Icelandic Medicines Agency. The Regulation also contains minimum waiting periods when drugs without marketing authorisation have been used to treat a specific disease in a species of animal the products of which are used for human consumption, as permitted by the Regulation. According to Article 15, the use of vaccines, antibiotics, and colorants for farmed fish is prohibited without the approval of the Fish Disease Committee. According to Article 17, animals may only be treated with antibiotics following diagnosis by a veterinarian, who must also personally initiate the treatment when the animals in question are livestock.
The Regulation contains 22 articles organized in the following chapters: I. Scope and definitions; II. Drugs which may not be administered to animals or which may only be used subject to specific limitations; III. Drugs which veterinarians may prescribe to the owners or keepers of animals; IV. Drugs administered to farmed fish; V. Miscellaneous provisions; VI. Monitoring, penalties and entry into force.