Animals: Imports

(asked on 19th May 2020) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate the Government has made of the proportion of live animals and products of animal origin which currently require documentary, identity and physical checks on entry into Northern Ireland from Great Britain.


Answered by
Victoria Prentis Portrait
Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
This question was answered on 2nd June 2020

There are currently no requirements regarding sanitary or phytosanitary (SPS) checks on most products of animal origin (POAO) intended for human consumption on entry into Northern Ireland (NI) from Great Britain (GB). They do not need to be certified by an Official Veterinarian. Certain live animals and germinal products under commercial movement from GB to NI, including livestock such as cattle and sheep, do require a health certificate signed by an Official Veterinarian. These live animal movements are currently subject to a degree of checks at the port of entry, determined by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs as the relevant competent authority.

Endangered animals and plants covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) do not currently require CITES checks on entry from GB to NI, although some specimens may require specific documentation for commercial use.

POAO travelling from GB to NI do not require an export health certificate or SPS documentary, visual and physical checks.

There are SPS, regulatory and customs checks as goods arrive in NI from third countries. This will not change as a result of the NI Protocol.

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