Athens, November 11, 2025 — The Greek authority has found significant market concentration and structural challenges in the country’s veterinary pharmaceuticals sector for sheep and goats, according to the results of its new mapping report.
The study, which analysed the market for vaccines, antibiotics, and antiparasitics from 2019 to mid-2024, revealed that imports dominate the market. Subsidiaries of multinational companies supplying most products from the Netherlands (19.9%), Spain (19%), Belgium (18.8%), and France (12.6%). Off-patent medicines accounted for 81% of sales in 2023, and generic products had a stronger presence in antiparasitics than in vaccines or antibiotics.
The authority recorded a high level of concentration in vaccines (HHI 3,106) and moderate levels in antibiotics and antiparasitics (HHI 1,743 and 1,767, respectively). Certain ATCvet product codes, particularly for antibiotics and vaccines, were found to be monopolised by single suppliers. Importers primarily sold to veterinary wholesalers (23%), large-animal practices (20%), private clinics (18%), and pharmacies (15%), while direct sales to cooperatives and farms remained limited.
Between 2020 and 2023, importers’ turnover and profitability rose steadily, with an average gross profit margin near 32%. Veterinary wholesalers also showed growth but operated on slimmer margins, around 10%, with sales concentrated among private veterinary practices and pharmacies.
Structural Challenges
The authority’s report identified several factors limiting competition and market efficiency:
- Fragmented regulatory framework: Overlapping laws and decrees make compliance complex, particularly for small and micro-enterprises.
- Conflict-of-interest concerns: Veterinarians prescribing and selling the same medicines for production animals may restrict choice and obscure cheaper alternatives.
- Restrictions on online sales: Distance selling is only permitted for non-prescription drugs, excluding almost all medicines for livestock.
- Lack of parallel imports: Cross-border trade in veterinary products is nearly absent, partly due to labeling and language requirements. The authority said multilingual packaging across the EU could encourage parallel trade and support price competition.
The mapping forms part of the authority’s broader strategy to assess competition along Greece’s agri-food value chain and follows earlier work examining the animal feed sector.
