TY - JOUR
T1 - Investigating the illicit market in veterinary medicines
T2 - An exploratory online study with pet owners in the United Kingdom
AU - Pons-Hernandez, Monica
AU - Wyatt, Tanya
AU - Hall, Alexandra
N1 - Funding information: Open access funding provided by Universitat Rovira i Virgili.
PY - 2023/9/1
Y1 - 2023/9/1
N2 - The illicit market in veterinary medicines is an overlooked issue despite threatening the health of non-human and human animals. It is thought to be increasing within the major markets of the global North due to the growth of e-commerce and social media sites. This paper examines the online market in illicit veterinary medicines through an exploratory study of the public’s online experiences as pet owners in the UK. To this end, we collected data through literature-based research and an online survey. Drawing on Passas’ criminogenic asymmetries framework, the research found that the confluence of legal, political, cultural, economic and knowledge asymmetries likely facilitate the market in illicit veterinary medicines in the UK. Our research concludes that, while previous reports suggest the illicit market is dominated by medicines to treat pets, it increasingly consists of medicines for farmed animals. This brings its own set of challenges and risks, and a pressing need for further research on the market’s dynamics.
AB - The illicit market in veterinary medicines is an overlooked issue despite threatening the health of non-human and human animals. It is thought to be increasing within the major markets of the global North due to the growth of e-commerce and social media sites. This paper examines the online market in illicit veterinary medicines through an exploratory study of the public’s online experiences as pet owners in the UK. To this end, we collected data through literature-based research and an online survey. Drawing on Passas’ criminogenic asymmetries framework, the research found that the confluence of legal, political, cultural, economic and knowledge asymmetries likely facilitate the market in illicit veterinary medicines in the UK. Our research concludes that, while previous reports suggest the illicit market is dominated by medicines to treat pets, it increasingly consists of medicines for farmed animals. This brings its own set of challenges and risks, and a pressing need for further research on the market’s dynamics.
KW - Criminogenic asymmetries
KW - Illicit medicines
KW - Illegal markets
KW - Nonhuman animals
KW - Non-human animals
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85137814382&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s12117-022-09463-0
DO - 10.1007/s12117-022-09463-0
M3 - Article
SN - 1084-4791
VL - 26
SP - 308
EP - 328
JO - Trends in Organized Crime
JF - Trends in Organized Crime
IS - 3
ER -
