Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether Northern Ireland is included in (a) part 1 list ,(b) part 2 list or is (c) unlisted for the purpose of moving of non-commercial dogs, cats or ferrets after the transition period.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Our application to become a listed third country for non-commercial pet travel after the transition period included the United Kingdom and Crown Dependencies. The EU Commission has voted and formally adopted Great Britain and the Crown Dependencies as a 'Part II' listed third country.
This listed status will not apply in Northern Ireland as the EU's pet travel regulations which govern the movement of non-commercial dogs, cats and ferrets apply there, being included in Annex II of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether Great Britain is included in the (a) Part 1 list, (b) Part 2 list or (c) Unlisted category for the purposes of moving non-commercial cats, dogs and ferrets to Northern Ireland after the transition period.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Our application to become a listed third country for non-commercial pet travel after the transition period included the United Kingdom and Crown Dependencies. The EU Commission has voted and formally adopted Great Britain and the Crown Dependencies as a 'Part II' listed third country.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether cats, dogs or ferrets require tapeworm treatment if travelling for non-commercial purposes from (a) Northern Ireland to Great Britain and (b) Great Britain to Northern Ireland after the transition period.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
There will be no changes to the current pet travel health requirements for entry into Great Britain from Northern Ireland or the EU. Dogs will not be required to undergo treatment for the tapeworm Echinococcus Multilocularis before entry into Great Britain if they are travelling from Northern Ireland.
As of 1 January 2021, the UK has Part 2 listed status under the EU Pet Travel Scheme, meaning that people travelling from GB with their pets and assistance dogs will need to follow new requirements in order to travel to the EU and Northern Ireland. These changes include the requirement for dogs moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, be treated against tapeworm 24-120 hours before landing.
However, recognising that these changes will take time to adjust to, the UK Government is working with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) on an enforcement approach that takes this challenge into account. This approach will be implemented in a way which supports pet owners and assistance dog users while the Government pursues a permanent solution.
Pet owners are being encouraged to check the latest government advice about travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland or the European Union with their pets at the end of the transition period.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what restrictions and travel authorisation requirements will apply to assistance dogs travelling from (a) Northern Ireland to Great Britain and (b) Great Britain to Northern Ireland after the transition period.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Under the legal framework of the pet travel regulations, there are no derogations for assistance dogs. Assistance dog owners should prepare their animal for travel to Northern Ireland as per the requirements laid out on GOV.UK.
However, recognising that these changes will take time to adjust to, the UK Government is working with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) on an enforcement approach that takes this challenge into account. This approach will be implemented in a way which supports pet owners and assistance dog users while the Government pursues a permanent solution
We are proactively and positively engaging with the assistance dog community and relevant stakeholders on the impacts on dog movements to the EU after the end of the transition period. We will continue to closely work with assistance dog organisations to share the latest advice and guidance (in accessible formats) with their members on pet travel requirements.
There will be no changes to the entrance requirements for pets or assistance dogs entering Great Britain from Northern Ireland. Assistance dogs or pets travelling via this route do not need any documentation or health preparation to enter Great Britain.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether owners of more than five (a) cats, (b) dogs and (c) ferrets will be required to obtain a health certificate for that group of animals before travelling from (i) Northern Ireland to Great Britain and (ii) Great Britain to Northern Ireland after the transition period.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Under the legal framework of the pet travel regulations, pet owners cannot take more than five cats, dogs or ferrets to the EU or Northern Ireland in any one movement unless the owner is attending or training for a competition, show or sporting event. The owner must also show proof of registration for the event when they travel. The animals themselves must also be; attending the event or training, be over 6 months old and comply with all other pet travel rules.
If a pet owner wishes to take more than five pets to the EU or Northern Ireland for another reason, they must comply with the rules governing the commercial movements of dogs, cats and ferrets.
There will be no changes or new requirements for pets entering Great Britain from Northern Ireland after the transition period, and this limit does not apply to these movements.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether cats, dogs or ferrets being moved for non-commercial purposes from Northern Ireland to Great Britain will require a blood test and the results of that test before being moved, after the end of the transition period.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
There will be no changes to the current pet travel health requirements for entry into Great Britain after the end of the transition period. There will be no requirement for pets to get a blood test for entry into Great Britain if they are travelling from Northern Ireland. This requirement only applies for movements from ‘Unlisted’ third countries.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) the Northern Ireland Executive and (b) other stakeholders on the enabling of importation of seed and ware potatoes from Great Britain to Northern Ireland after the end of the transition period.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra understands the challenging position of businesses that export seed and ware potatoes to the EU and NI and is working together with DAERA and EU officials with the aim of ensuring that both trade and the movement of goods will continue at the end of the Transition Period.
The UK government is engaging with businesses and other stakeholders on this issue and further Government support that could be provided to address the new requirements on sanitary and phytosanitary goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. This includes looking at the inspection fees associated with phytosanitary certification, should ware and seed potato exports be permitted, and the support that could be offered to minimise or eliminate these costs.
Defra has been explaining the transitional provisions to businesses, also suggesting that both the seeds and phytosanitary issues can be mitigated by moving seed and other propagating material and commodities such as ware potatoes before 31 December in anticipation of an equivalence agreement being reached on, or shortly after this date as well as the lifting of plant health import restrictions.
Defra is working with the EU to reach a reciprocal agreement on equivalence and to remove the plant health prohibitions, including those on seed and ware potatoes, as soon as possible. There have been two discussions with EU officials on 11 and 13 November where the EU have been exploring the most suitable legal routes for granting equivalence to the UK, however they have not given an indication of the timeline for this yet.
Defra submitted a response to the EU on 20 November, setting out the UK's legislation for seed marketing and plant health controls together with our evidence dossier which sets out our controls and data for meeting plant health and seed certification requirements. We received a further response on 4 December and we responded on 11 December providing additional information to the EU.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Government has for a UK-specific system of cattle identification.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
At present, cattle are identified with a pair of approved ear tags, showing the same unique individual identification number.
Defra is working with industry on proposals for the introduction of Bovine Electronic Identification (bEID) in England. bEID is the identification of cattle with a tag which contains an electronic identifier. bEID would allow the use of electronic readers to capture the animals’ identity, removing the possibility of human errors of omission and transposition.
The Devolved Administrations are also working on plans for implementing bEID. Defra is working in close collaboration with the Devolved Administrations to ensure the timing and approach to implementation of bovine electronic identification in each part of the UK does not create burden or confusion for keepers.
In the event of a disease outbreak, it is essential that animals can be identified, and movements can be traced effectively.
Currently, keepers and livestock markets report cattle movements to the current British Cattle Movement Service. In the future, each Administration will run a fully separate system for livestock traceability, including for cattle. We are working closely together to ensure the future systems are fully interoperable so that effective arrangements for disease control and trade are maintained across the UK.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote an uptake in vaccination of cattle against pneumonia.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Government is committed to tackling endemic diseases in animals in the UK. The vaccination of livestock against pneumonia is a major means of controlling pneumonia in cattle and is best coordinated by farmers with the assistance of their local veterinarians. This approach enables development of a targeted vaccination programme for each farm. The promotion of such vaccinations is conducted by industry bodies and trade organisations, which are well placed to provide relevant and timely communications to their members.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the spread of bird flu in the UK.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Animal health and welfare policy and responding to outbreaks is a devolved matter. I outline below information about control of the disease in England. I also set out how all four administrations in the UK work with one another in order to develop a response which supports the areas of common interest.
My department, and the departments of all administrations in the UK, have well-established, strong track records of controlling and eliminating outbreaks of Avian Influenza. Our aim is to limit the spread and the economic impact of this disease on the industry, governments and other bird keepers.
Defra's approach to disease control is set out in the Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain and in the Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England. Once disease has been confirmed, susceptible birds are humanely culled and disease control zones put in place around the infected premises to further reduce the risk of spread. Movement of poultry and captive birds are not allowed in the zones and movements of eggs, poultry carcases and poultry litter and manure are subject to restrictions.
Veterinary investigations are carried out at each infected premises, including the tracing of all movements on and off, and surveillance within the disease control zones.
Avian Influenza Prevention Zones (AIPZ) were put in place in England, Scotland and Wales on 11 November 2020. These require all bird keepers to take extra biosecurity precautions such as limiting access to non-essential people on their sites, workers changing clothing and footwear before entering bird enclosures, cleaning and disinfecting site vehicles regularly and fencing off ponds and standing water. Similarly, an AIPZ was declared in Northern Ireland on 1 December 2020.
In addition, given the increasing risk of incursion of avian influenza to captive birds, from the 14 December 2020 new housing measures will come into force in England for all poultry and captive birds. I refer the hon. Member to my statement of 8 December 2020:
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-12-08/hcws631
Although disease control is a devolved matter colleagues in all administrations are an integral part of the UK-wide decision-making processes. All attend the Defra Group's National Disease Control Centre 'bird table' meetings, are members of the Animal Disease Policy Group and participate in daily stocktakes to review on-going disease control strategy.
I have no plans to amend Defra's responsibilities for compensation for affected keepers.