Peculiarities of the functioning of the veterinary drugs and services market

The article systematises the peculiarities of the functioning of the veterinary services and drugs market and proves the need for a rational combination of market self-regulation with the methods of state administrative and economic regulation. It is established that the market of veterinary services and drugs is characterised by a high level of administrative State regulation. The author reveals the components of the regulatory and legal support for the functioning of the system of veterinary support for activities in the areas of animal health and welfare, veterinary practice, production, circulation and use of veterinary drugs, and circulation of animal by-products. The article describes administrative methods of regulation in relation to: certification of veterinary drugs; licensing of veterinary activities; establishment of rules for the storage and sale of drugd and other animal care products; control over the import of veterinary products. The list of the main consumers of veterinary services and drugs is highlighted and the conclusion is made about the differences in their purchasing behaviour, which should be taken into account when developing tools for economic regulation of the market under study. The author defines the notins of “veterinary activity”, “veterinary service”, “veterinary drug” and identifies their main groups, the generalisation of which allowed to deepen their essential characteristics. The subjects of the researched market, which form the supply of veterinary services and drugs, are discribed and the main types of their activities are highlighted. The components of the organisational and information block and staffing in the system of rational combination of administrative and economic methods of regulating the market of veterinary services and drugs are described. It is concluded that the mechanism of functioning of the market of veterinary services and drugs is considered as an organic combination of state administrative and economic regulation with mechanisms of market self-regulation, which allows achieving its balance. Key words: veterinary services, veterinary drugs, market autoregulation, administrative state regulation, economic state regulation, subjects of the market.