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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what checks will be carried out on the documentation required by equines entering the UK once the UK has left the EU.

No new animal health checks at the point of entry will be introduced as a result of the UK leaving the EU. Equines entering the UK from the EU will be required to pre-notify APHA (or DAERA in Northern Ireland) if they are travelling using a UK Health Certificate or from France using a commercial document (UK DOCOM). The UK Health Certificate is a replacement for the existing Intra Trade Animal Health Certificate used for EU trade. The UK DOCOM is a replacement for this existing DOCOM used for the movement of high health status horses from France to the UK.

Equines entering the UK directly from the EU will not be required to do so via a border inspection post. Risk based checks will continue to be undertaken at the point of destination on these equines. Equines entering the UK from third countries will follow the same processes as they do now, with checks undertaken at an approved UK BIP.