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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help minimise the potential impact of bluetongue regulations on markets trading livestock on the border between England and Wales.

Disease control is a devolved matter, and it is for the Devolved Governments to assess the disease risks and impacts in relation to their national herds, alongside the impacts of controls, and respond accordingly. However, Defra works closely with the Devolved Governments with the aim of providing, where possible, a consistent and coordinated response across the UK. A key forum for this is the Animal Disease Policy Group, which is a UK-wide policy decision making group. Defra and Devolved Governments also engage closely with industry to inform policy development and implementation through the Livestock Core Group. It is encouraging to see that Wales is now joining Scotland in allowing some exemptions for pre-movement testing for cattle which have been vaccinated with a product that prevents viraemia - which will reduce costs for movements of these animals between England and Wales.

Defra will keep the approach to bluetongue control under review in 2025 and are grateful for the continued engagement of Devolved Governments and industry stakeholders.