Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress he has made on ensuring the long-term availability of veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Steve Baker
The Government’s priority is to secure a long-term sustainable solution on veterinary medicines. To that end, we wish to pursue such a solution through discussions with the EU, as well as preparing for safeguards in all scenarios. We have set up a Veterinary Medicines Working Group to advise the Government on solutions and are grateful for your expertise as a member of this group. The Working Group has met twice and aims to report in a timely manner by June.
In the meantime, we have put in place a grace period arrangement until the end of 2025 which supports continuity of supply to Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure long-term access to veterinary medicine supplies in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Steve Baker
We secured a three-year extension to the grace period for veterinary medicines at the end of 2022. This ensures that Northern Ireland’s supply of veterinary medicines is protected for the foreseeable future and we have the time to find a long-term, sustainable solution.
To support our work towards a long-term solution, we will continue to work with the EU and industry throughout the grace period.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure adequate (a) access to and (b) supplies of veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Steve Baker
We would like to reach a negotiated agreement with the EU that would safeguard the supply of veterinary medicines and vaccines to Northern Ireland. If that is not possible, we reserve the right to take action to ensure that farmers and pet owners in Northern Ireland can continue to access the veterinary medicines and vaccines they need for their animals.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the continued availability of veterinary (a) medicines and (b) vaccines in Northern Ireland after December 2022.
Answered by Steve Baker
We are facing a supply challenge at the end of 2022 when many of the veterinary medicines supplied to Northern Ireland will be at risk of discontinuation. We would like to reach a negotiated agreement with the EU that would safeguard the supply of veterinary medicines and vaccines to Northern Ireland. If that is not possible, we reserve the right to take action to ensure that animals in Northern Ireland can continue to access the veterinary medicines and vaccines they need.
If we cannot reach a negotiated solution, the Protocol Bill aims to ensure that there are no barriers in domestic law that prevent medicines, for either human or veterinary use, from being supplied to Northern Ireland.