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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increase in (1) costs, and (2) checks, of transporting livestock from Northern Ireland to Great Britain and back since the introduction of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland; and what steps they intend to take to reduce those costs.

The UK Government has not formally assessed the costs associated with the movements and checks of transporting livestock between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The UK Government does consider that the introduction of the protocol has had an effect on the costs involved in moving livestock between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The UK Government has therefore secured a derogation from EU rules for livestock moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain for shows and sales. The derogation allows livestock to return to Northern Ireland within 15 days, which has reduced costs and burdens to traders.