Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the requirements for owners of pets to apply for a pet travel document when transporting them from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, and which body is responsible for setting such requirements.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Pet owners who live in Great Britain will be able to apply online for a free pet travel document online from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
To do so, pets will need to have been microchipped. Microchipping is already a legal requirement in the United Kingdom for dogs, for cats in England since June 2024. Pet owners will also need to confirm they will not use the scheme to travel to the EU.
Northern Ireland pet owners will not be required to hold a pet travel document and will face no checks.
The Secretary of State for Defra, with the Scottish and Welsh Ministers, and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs are the competent authorities for the scheme.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what restrictions are in place regarding the non-commercial movement of pet animals within the United Kingdom.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
For travel from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Pet Travel Scheme, which will be in place from June 2025, will significantly reduce the burdens associated with the original Northern Ireland Protocol for Great Britain based pet owners. Northern Ireland pet owners will not face any checks and will not be required to hold a pet travel document.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how compliance with the Windsor Framework (Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals) Regulations 2024 will be enforced, and by whom.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Northern Ireland Pet Travel Scheme requires pet owners from Great Britain to have a microchipped pet and hold a valid pet travel document, this is free to obtain.
Defra staff will provide support to the public when needed on departure from Great Britain to ensure compliance upon arrival in Northern Ireland.
We expect that the vast majority of people will comply and the Government will be providing comprehensive support to those travelling with their pets to ensure they can do so.
However, in rare instances where a pet owner is not compliant upon arrival in Northern Ireland officials from the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs will provide further support.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on trade to Northern Ireland from Great Britain of repealing regulation 13 of the Windsor Framework Retail Movement Scheme Regulations 2023 and the powers of the EU in Article 14(5) of the EU regulation 2023/1231.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
The Government has now laid the Windsor Framework (Implementation) Regulations 2024 before Parliament. These regulations will provide powers for the Government to fulfil the commitments in the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper on upholding Northern Ireland's place in the UK internal market.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what checks or compliance procedures are required for the movement of agri-intermediate goods or inputs, such as grain for animal consumption, from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
The arrangements for moving plants and plant products for production, such as animal feed, are set out in detail on the GOV.UK pages covering movements into and out of Northern Ireland. That includes details of the unfettered access for Northern Ireland goods to the whole UK market, as well as the support services available under the Trader Support Service and the Movement Assistance Scheme for movements into Northern Ireland from Great Britain. In relation to these movements, it should be noted that animal feed for use on premises located in Northern Ireland benefits from a wide-ranging sectoral exemption that enables it to be classified as ‘not at risk’.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government which specific legal obligations require them to notify the EU about planned legislative changes to the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
HM Government is required to allow the EU to provide comments on notified proposed technical regulations in accordance with Article 94 of the Trade and Co-operation Agreement between the UK and the EU.
In discharging this obligation, the notification of planned legislative changes to the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 was circulated to the World Trade Organisation Technical Barriers to Trade Committee on 9th February 2024.
In accordance with arrangements provided in the Windsor Framework notification of the European Commission is also required under Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006 Article 11 and Directive (EU) 2015/1535 Article 5(1) in respect of planned amendments to the Bread and Flour Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998.
The EU commission were notified under the Windsor Framework of the planned amendments to the Bread and Flour Regulations (Northern Ireland) on the 8th of February 2024.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Douglas-Miller on 11 March (HL2836), whether, prior to the UK leaving the EU, seed potatoes could be moved by professional operators in Great Britain directly to Northern Ireland consumers.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
Under the Windsor Framework, seed potatoes can now move again from Great Britain to Northern Ireland under the terms of the NI plant health label scheme. This means professional operators in Great Britain can send seed potatoes to professional operators in Northern Ireland for commercial growing in Northern Ireland. Once these are planted in Northern Ireland and grown into potatoes for consumption, or used to produce further seed potatoes, they can be sold into Northern Ireland retailers and garden centres for personal use.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have sought to canvass the views of the EU Council of Ministers and MEPs about their readiness to remove those requirements set out by Article 4(3) of EU Regulation 2023/1231 before committing to remove statutory quotas for identity checks pertaining to the movement of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland beyond the red lane.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
The Government has been clear that there will be no checks when goods move within the UK internal market system save those conducted by UK authorities as part of a risk-based or intelligence-led approach to tackle criminality, abuse of the scheme, smuggling and disease risks. This is a matter for the UK Government. The Government meets regularly with the European Union to discuss matters under the Windsor Framework and as set out in the Command Paper, we will transition to new arrangements over the coming months.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the current requirements regarding the re-tagging of livestock born in Great Britain and being moved to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
Following work with the livestock sector, an easement negotiated by the Government with the European Commission means that cattle, sheep, or goats that already have UK tags that are moving to Northern Ireland from Great Britain do not now need to be reidentified in Great Britain with either a new pair of ‘GB’ tags or have a third ‘GB’ export tag added. Farmers are now able to move them with their existing 'UK' tags. DAERA website guidance advising keepers that these animals had to be identified with GB tags before they are moved to NI has been removed.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether, prior to the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, seed potatoes could be moved by professional operators to consumers in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
We have lifted the ban on the movement of seed potatoes - under the Windsor Framework they can now move from Great Britain to Northern Ireland under the NI Plant Health Label scheme. Currently movements are required to be made between registered professional operators in Great Britain to professional operators in Northern Ireland for commercial growing in Northern Ireland. Once planted in Northern Ireland and grown into potatoes for consumption, or used to produce further seed potatoes, they can be sold into Northern Ireland retailers and garden centres.