Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many registered vets are there who are qualified to carry out import checks on animal products arriving in the UK.

Official Veterinarians (OVs) are used by both the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and Port Health Authorities to carry out checks on imports that are required of them, and some of that OV resource is recruited on a contractual basis. We do not hold data for the number of registered OVs in the UK able to perform such functions. However, Border Control Post (BCP) designations are only granted where there is evidence that vet capacity will meet demand. BCPs are also regularly audited by APHA to ensure they continue to have the correct levels of staffing to deliver import controls on products of animal origin.