Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to compensate companies that recruited additional qualified veterinarians to administer checks on meat and dairy products entering the UK from the EU from 1 April who may now face redundancy following the decision to delay the introduction of these checks and health certificates; and what plans they have to meet with representatives of the affected companies.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Defra is working with PHAs to have new staff (including OVs) recruited and trained in advance of October, and will continue engaging with a number of organisations, including vet providers, to ensure we meet those timelines. PHAs are continuing to recruit OVs in order to train, familiarise and prepare themselves for the changes from 1st October.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many fully qualified (1) veterinarians, and (2) meat hygiene inspectors, they estimate will be required to conduct veterinary controls and inspections in Northern Ireland when the grace period provided for by the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland expires.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The recruitment of veterinary professionals for carrying out veterinary controls and inspections in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter. This means that the responsible department is the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland (DAERA).
Veterinary controls and inspections do not only take place in ports and airports but include work done on farms and in various types of establishment, including slaughterhouses.
During the month of June 2020 (being typical of the base-line position for calendar year 2020) the number of staff employed by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland to carry out veterinary controls and inspections was in the order of:
- 114 qualified veterinarians,
- 69 qualified meat hygiene inspectors, and
- 27 trainee meat hygiene inspectors.
At that time the number of staff employed in northern Ireland’s ports and airports, and authorised to carry out veterinary controls and inspections and participate in the goods clearance process was of the order of:
- Veterinarians – 1
- Portal Inspectors – 41
Inspectors working in the ports are not meat hygiene inspectors but are portal inspectors who have received training in that specific role. Meat hygiene inspectors are only employed in DAERA’s Veterinary Public Health Programme which delivers the Official Controls in Food Business Operator premises on behalf of the Food Standards Agency for Northern Ireland.
When the grace period provided for by the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland expires Northern Ireland the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs currently estimates that the number of staff required to conduct veterinary controls and inspections in Northern Ireland will, in total, approximate to:
- 186 qualified veterinarians,
- 69 qualified meat hygiene inspectors, and
- 27 trainee meat hygiene inspectors.
The most recent estimates for the numbers of staff that will be required to conduct veterinary controls and inspections in Northern Ireland ports and airports, when the grace period provided for by the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland expires, is as follows:
- Veterinarians – 72
- Officially authorised portal inspectors – 122
- Officially authorised portal administrative officers – 80
- Industrial grade animal handlers – 12
- Stevedores – 72
- Veterinarians, Portal Inspectors and admin staff - 3
DAERA is on track to spend a total of £16m on personnel, infrastructure and IT systems to the end of the current financial year for the work necessary to carry out the required sanitary and phytosanitary checks at Northern Ireland’s Points of Entry.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many fully qualified (1) veterinarians, and (2) meat hygiene inspectors, were employed to conduct veterinary controls and inspections in Northern Ireland from 1 January to 31 December 2020.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The recruitment of veterinary professionals for carrying out veterinary controls and inspections in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter. This means that the responsible department is the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland (DAERA).
Veterinary controls and inspections do not only take place in ports and airports but include work done on farms and in various types of establishment, including slaughterhouses.
During the month of June 2020 (being typical of the base-line position for calendar year 2020) the number of staff employed by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland to carry out veterinary controls and inspections was in the order of:
- 114 qualified veterinarians,
- 69 qualified meat hygiene inspectors, and
- 27 trainee meat hygiene inspectors.
At that time the number of staff employed in northern Ireland’s ports and airports, and authorised to carry out veterinary controls and inspections and participate in the goods clearance process was of the order of:
- Veterinarians – 1
- Portal Inspectors – 41
Inspectors working in the ports are not meat hygiene inspectors but are portal inspectors who have received training in that specific role. Meat hygiene inspectors are only employed in DAERA’s Veterinary Public Health Programme which delivers the Official Controls in Food Business Operator premises on behalf of the Food Standards Agency for Northern Ireland.
When the grace period provided for by the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland expires Northern Ireland the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs currently estimates that the number of staff required to conduct veterinary controls and inspections in Northern Ireland will, in total, approximate to:
- 186 qualified veterinarians,
- 69 qualified meat hygiene inspectors, and
- 27 trainee meat hygiene inspectors.
The most recent estimates for the numbers of staff that will be required to conduct veterinary controls and inspections in Northern Ireland ports and airports, when the grace period provided for by the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland expires, is as follows:
- Veterinarians – 72
- Officially authorised portal inspectors – 122
- Officially authorised portal administrative officers – 80
- Industrial grade animal handlers – 12
- Stevedores – 72
- Veterinarians, Portal Inspectors and admin staff - 3
DAERA is on track to spend a total of £16m on personnel, infrastructure and IT systems to the end of the current financial year for the work necessary to carry out the required sanitary and phytosanitary checks at Northern Ireland’s Points of Entry.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to recruit fully trained veterinary professionals to carry out the necessary veterinary controls and inspections in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The recruitment of veterinary professionals for carrying out veterinary controls and inspections in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter. This means that the responsible department is the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland (DAERA).
Veterinary controls and inspections do not only take place in ports and airports but include work done on farms and in various types of establishment, including slaughterhouses.
During the month of June 2020 (being typical of the base-line position for calendar year 2020) the number of staff employed by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland to carry out veterinary controls and inspections was in the order of:
- 114 qualified veterinarians,
- 69 qualified meat hygiene inspectors, and
- 27 trainee meat hygiene inspectors.
At that time the number of staff employed in northern Ireland’s ports and airports, and authorised to carry out veterinary controls and inspections and participate in the goods clearance process was of the order of:
- Veterinarians – 1
- Portal Inspectors – 41
Inspectors working in the ports are not meat hygiene inspectors but are portal inspectors who have received training in that specific role. Meat hygiene inspectors are only employed in DAERA’s Veterinary Public Health Programme which delivers the Official Controls in Food Business Operator premises on behalf of the Food Standards Agency for Northern Ireland.
When the grace period provided for by the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland expires Northern Ireland the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs currently estimates that the number of staff required to conduct veterinary controls and inspections in Northern Ireland will, in total, approximate to:
- 186 qualified veterinarians,
- 69 qualified meat hygiene inspectors, and
- 27 trainee meat hygiene inspectors.
The most recent estimates for the numbers of staff that will be required to conduct veterinary controls and inspections in Northern Ireland ports and airports, when the grace period provided for by the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland expires, is as follows:
- Veterinarians – 72
- Officially authorised portal inspectors – 122
- Officially authorised portal administrative officers – 80
- Industrial grade animal handlers – 12
- Stevedores – 72
- Veterinarians, Portal Inspectors and admin staff - 3
DAERA is on track to spend a total of £16m on personnel, infrastructure and IT systems to the end of the current financial year for the work necessary to carry out the required sanitary and phytosanitary checks at Northern Ireland’s Points of Entry.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much Government funding has been spent in the current financial year on physical infrastructure at sea ports in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
A total of £16m is on track to be spent by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs of Northern Ireland on infrastructure, IT systems and personnel to the end of the current financial year for the work necessary to carry out the required sanitary and phytosanitary checks at Northern Ireland’s Points of Entry.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether giving subsidies to farmers in the UK in the event of a no-deal Brexit to assist them with the export of (1) lamb, and (2) beef, to the EU would be in breach of World Trade Organization rules.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The World Trade Organisation’s (WTO’s) rules covering agricultural subsidies are set out in the Agreement on Agriculture. A final assessment against these rules can only be made once a subsidy scheme has been designed in detail.
However, at the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference in 2015 a decision was taken to fully eliminate any form of agricultural export subsidy as part of the ‘Nairobi Package’. This prevents the UK from putting in place measures such as: direct payments related to export performance; buying up non-commercial stocks of agricultural products and selling them overseas at less than domestic market value; or subsidising domestic or international transport costs for exported goods.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans are in place to guarantee access to sufficient numbers of Official Veterinarians from outside the UK in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
In the event of a no-deal Brexit, overseas vets already registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) or in the process of registering by 30 October 2019 will continue to have their qualifications recognised. Government has legislated to ensure that new vets wishing to work here can also register with the RCVS if their qualification meets the required equivalent standards. Individuals with a degree that does not meet the RCVS equivalent will be able to apply to sit the RCVS statutory examination.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is offering free training for Official Vets (OVs) to sign Export Health Certificates (EHCs) for food products: 830 have enrolled and 379 have qualified. The total number of OVs who can sign EHCs for food products has increased by more than 300 since 8 February to 972.
Meanwhile, the Food Standards Agency and Animal and Plant Health Agency have reviewed processes in order to maximise the effectiveness of staff, including recruiting and training more official auxiliary staff. APHA have created a new role of Certification Support Officer to handle a number of preparatory and administrative tasks for assuring UK EHCs, under vet management. The supervising vet will retain responsibility for the assurances provided.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to enact the provisions of the Official Controls (EU) Regulation 2017/625 when the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government continues to prepare responsibly for all EU Exit scenarios, and as part of that Defra and the Food Standards Agency are currently considering the impact an orderly exit will have on the application of the new Official Controls Regulation (OCR) 2017/625 and its associated legislation. The Government is working together with the devolved administrations to ensure that the UK is prepared for any outcome in this policy area.
However, if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, we would not be required to implement the new OCR in December. Any future changes to official controls legislation would be based on the Government’s key regulatory principles of proportionate and risk based policy making and would reflect devolved competences in this policy area.