Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department has taken to advance the mutual recognition of veterinary licenses with the EU.

The Government remains committed to improving recognition of professional qualifications with the EU, including for vets.

The UK’s veterinary regulator, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), is responsible for recognising overseas qualifications and currently recognises EU qualifications from veterinary schools accredited under the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Accreditation.

The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement contains provisions which allow the UK and EU to agree mutual recognition of professional qualifications arrangements for specific professions where jointly proposed by UK and EU regulators. We encourage and support all UK regulators, including RCVS, to use this framework to agree mutual routes for recognition.