Three vets told a House of Lords committee on Wednesday that over-the-counter flea treatments used by pet owners in the UK should be banned, pressing Parliament to end routine preventative use and restrict the sale of spot-ons containing fipronil and imidacloprid to veterinarians.

The call lands while Defra is already weighing a ban on general sale. The department launched a call for evidence last month and, at the same time, began a campaign urging pet owners to use spot-ons correctly. The question now is whether ministers go further and stop general retail sales, or keep relying on advice about proper use.

The evidence came from the Lords' environment select committee, which heard from Dr Elizabeth Mullineaux, Dr Martin Whitehead and Dr Rose Perkins. Mullineaux said recent surveys of the British Veterinary Association's 20,000 members showed 80% supported a ban on general sale, while more than 70% agreed blanket preventative treatment should stop. Whitehead went further, saying almost all parasiticides applied preventively to pets are unnecessary.

Perkins brought the issue home with her own experience. She said she had never given any preventative treatments to her puppy or her cat, and had only treated her cat once for fleas, using an isoxazoline tablet rather than any spot-ons. She added that this approach was cheaper, effective and more in line with how antibiotics are used.

The clash is straightforward. Environmental scientists have flagged fipronil and imidacloprid as toxic to wildlife, while the industry body representing flea treatment companies says preventive flea treatments are important for animal health. Perkins argued that pollution is still happening even when owners apply spot-on products correctly, and said there is no evidence that bad application or disposal is the source. “They know it's polluting and they know it's ineffective,” she said.

That leaves Defra with a clear decision point. It can follow the vets' call and remove general sale of spot-on flea treatments containing the two chemicals, or keep pushing correct-use guidance while the products stay on open sale. For pet owners, the answer will shape not just what they buy, but whether monthly prevention remains the default advice or gives way to targeted treatment from a vet.