Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the lessons to be learned from the policies undertaken by the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland in relation to the control of the spread of Bovine TB in cattle; and if she will make a statement.
Animal health is a devolved policy matter. My department liaises closely with all three devolved administrations, including Northern Ireland, on matters of common interest. It is important that all four administrations can learn from our collective experiences and we have effective arrangements in place to make sure that happens.
In June 2015, the European Commission’s Food and Veterinary Office carried out an audit of the bovine tuberculosis eradication programme in Northern Ireland, a report of which is available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/food/audits-analysis/audit_reports/details.cfm?rep_id=3560.