Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the agreement with the European Union to dynamically align on sanitary and phytosanitary matters, what assessment they have made of the implications on trade deals with countries other than those in the EU.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to tackling trade barriers wherever they emerge as we have shown by securing a new free trade agreement with India and a new deal with the US.
The SPS agreement will reduce delays and paperwork at the border with the EU, make it easier and cheaper to take pets on holiday into the EU, and trade in products such as fresh sausages and seed potatoes will be able to resume.
We will always consider our economic interests in the round. The EU is our largest trading partner and there are significant opportunities from an SPS agreement. We will continue to work with trading partners throughout this process, both bilaterally and at the WTO.
The agreement with the EU does not impact on our ability to agree Free Trade Agreements with other trading partners. Any practical impacts on imports from the rest of the world will be communicated to traders in due course.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received a report from the Veterinary Medicines Working Group since its establishment; and if so, what discussions they have had with European Union representatives to resolve outstanding issues, with particular regard to the provision of veterinary vaccines for Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A commitment to produce a report on safeguarding veterinary medicines into NI was made by the Veterinary Medicines Working Group (VMWG) established under the previous government; the group was paused due to the election before the report could be published. The VMWG has since been reestablished to provide advice to the new UK Government on an ongoing basis but will no longer produce a final report. Maintaining availability of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland after the end of 2025 is a priority and this Government will progress work on this issue as quickly as possible.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much money has been allocated for the construction of border inspection posts in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
The construction of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Inspection Facilities in Northern Ireland is supported by an agreed business case which provides a funding envelope of up to a maximum of £192.3 million. This figure is just an envelope and is not guaranteed as the department always aspires to come in under budget.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the construction of border inspection posts in Northern Ireland to be completed.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
The SPS Inspection Facilities at Northern Ireland points of entry will be completed by 1 July 2025, per our commitments under the Windsor Framework.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government which Minister will have responsibility for the operation, staffing and maintenance of border inspection posts in Northern Ireland upon their completion.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
The UK Government already assumed responsibility for Sanitary and Phytosanitary Inspection Facilities in Northern Ireland last year. As set out in the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper, the Government will take powers at Westminster to direct NI bodies to protect the UK internal market in the operation of the Windsor Framework. We will set out further details in due course.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster 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 implications for trade within the UK of the proposal to stop environmental checks on (1) meat, or (2) frozen locker products, leaving Northern Ireland for destinations in Great Britain.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
HM Government is not aware of any proposals to stop environmental checks. Products of animal origin (POAO) from Northern Ireland (NI) moving in refrigerated trucks from NI into Great Britain benefit from unfettered market access. These movements are subject to the same hygiene requirements that any other movements of POAO are subject to within the UK.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what impact the decision by the EU to permit the feeding of animal remains to farm livestock will have on the importation of animal products into Great Britain from Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
The EU is introducing legislative changes which follow their agreed TSE roadmaps.
These proposals would authorise for the EU:
The rules will still be more stringent than those required by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) which only ban the use of ruminant proteins in feed for ruminant animals.
Pigs and poultry have not been shown to be susceptible to TSE. The proposals will not affect the existing bans on feeding animal proteins to ruminants and on intra-species recycling (feeding an animal with a product derived from the same species), and they do not include high-risk animal by-products which are incinerated. Nor would they permit the feeding of animal remains to farmed livestock, which is banned in the UK and the EU.
The restrictions on feeding of livestock in England will not be altered by EU legislation. Before taking any policy decision, officials would obtain advice from Government scientists and from the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) regarding any potential risk to human or animal health; and engage closely with groups representing consumers, retailers, producers, farmers and other interested stakeholders.
Animal Health is a devolved matter, so this policy is devolved to the Scottish and the Welsh Ministers for their respective territories.
Under the terms of the Northern Ireland Protocol, the amendments will apply to Northern Ireland.
The UK does not ban the imports of pig and poultry meat products from countries where the feed rules comply with the OIE requirements. This means that imports of pig and poultry meat products from the EU or Northern Ireland will continue to be accepted into Great Britain.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the decision by the EU to allow animal remains to be fed to farm livestock will result in this practice being permitted in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
The EU is introducing legislative changes which follow their agreed TSE roadmaps.
These proposals would authorise for the EU:
The rules will still be more stringent than those required by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) which only ban the use of ruminant proteins in feed for ruminant animals.
Pigs and poultry have not been shown to be susceptible to TSE. The proposals will not affect the existing bans on feeding animal proteins to ruminants and on intra-species recycling (feeding an animal with a product derived from the same species), and they do not include high-risk animal by-products which are incinerated. Nor would they permit the feeding of animal remains to farmed livestock, which is banned in the UK and the EU.
The restrictions on feeding of livestock in England will not be altered by EU legislation. Before taking any policy decision, officials would obtain advice from Government scientists and from the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) regarding any potential risk to human or animal health; and engage closely with groups representing consumers, retailers, producers, farmers and other interested stakeholders.
Animal Health is a devolved matter, so this policy is devolved to the Scottish and the Welsh Ministers for their respective territories.
Under the terms of the Northern Ireland Protocol, the amendments will apply to Northern Ireland.
The UK does not ban the imports of pig and poultry meat products from countries where the feed rules comply with the OIE requirements. This means that imports of pig and poultry meat products from the EU or Northern Ireland will continue to be accepted into Great Britain.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to retain the ban on the feeding of animal remains to farm livestock in England.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
The EU is introducing legislative changes which follow their agreed TSE roadmaps.
These proposals would authorise for the EU:
The rules will still be more stringent than those required by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) which only ban the use of ruminant proteins in feed for ruminant animals.
Pigs and poultry have not been shown to be susceptible to TSE. The proposals will not affect the existing bans on feeding animal proteins to ruminants and on intra-species recycling (feeding an animal with a product derived from the same species), and they do not include high-risk animal by-products which are incinerated. Nor would they permit the feeding of animal remains to farmed livestock, which is banned in the UK and the EU.
The restrictions on feeding of livestock in England will not be altered by EU legislation. Before taking any policy decision, officials would obtain advice from Government scientists and from the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) regarding any potential risk to human or animal health; and engage closely with groups representing consumers, retailers, producers, farmers and other interested stakeholders.
Animal Health is a devolved matter, so this policy is devolved to the Scottish and the Welsh Ministers for their respective territories.
Under the terms of the Northern Ireland Protocol, the amendments will apply to Northern Ireland.
The UK does not ban the imports of pig and poultry meat products from countries where the feed rules comply with the OIE requirements. This means that imports of pig and poultry meat products from the EU or Northern Ireland will continue to be accepted into Great Britain.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision by the EU to lift the ban on feeding animal remains to pigs and poultry.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
The EU is introducing legislative changes which follow their agreed TSE roadmaps.
These proposals would authorise for the EU:
The rules will still be more stringent than those required by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) which only ban the use of ruminant proteins in feed for ruminant animals.
Pigs and poultry have not been shown to be susceptible to TSE. The proposals will not affect the existing bans on feeding animal proteins to ruminants and on intra-species recycling (feeding an animal with a product derived from the same species), and they do not include high-risk animal by-products which are incinerated. Nor would they permit the feeding of animal remains to farmed livestock, which is banned in the UK and the EU.
The restrictions on feeding of livestock in England will not be altered by EU legislation. Before taking any policy decision, officials would obtain advice from Government scientists and from the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) regarding any potential risk to human or animal health; and engage closely with groups representing consumers, retailers, producers, farmers and other interested stakeholders.
Animal Health is a devolved matter, so this policy is devolved to the Scottish and the Welsh Ministers for their respective territories.
Under the terms of the Northern Ireland Protocol, the amendments will apply to Northern Ireland.
The UK does not ban the imports of pig and poultry meat products from countries where the feed rules comply with the OIE requirements. This means that imports of pig and poultry meat products from the EU or Northern Ireland will continue to be accepted into Great Britain.