I propose to take Questions Nos. 1204 and 1205 together.
The UK is implementing a phased approach to the introduction of its import requirements including SPS controls. Import controls on Products of Animal Origin entering Great Britain will come into effect from 1st October 2021.
Meeting the UK regulatory requirements poses significant challenges for the Department in the provision of veterinary certification, as well as for businesses, which must adapt their processes in order to ensure that they meet these new requirements. The Deputy should be aware that it will not be a specific requirement for a veterinary inspector to be present at a food business to sign off on an export health certificate, except on a risk basis, to check the load or when an official seal is requested.
The Department has invested significantly in ensuring that the necessary staffing resources, IT systems and businesses processes are in place to support industry. Preparations are ongoing to provide veterinary certification in a manner that will support the geographically dispersed, just-in-time nature of supply chains with Great Britain.
However, the Department will not be providing veterinary certification 24/6, and it is important that businesses understand this and structure their requirements accordingly. The Department has established a Supply Chain Working Group to understand the specific challenges that industry faces, with a view to seeing how processes can be streamlined, both by the Department and by businesses themselves, in order to meet the UK requirements. Officials are continuing to communicate with industry and this engagement will step up over the coming months, including sharing lessons learned from trials.
The introduction of import controls by the UK has the potential to disrupt trade and I encourage all businesses exporting goods to Great Britain to prepare now and to work collaboratively with the Department to mitigate this disruption as much as possible.
