Written question asked by Theresa Villiers (Conservative) on Monday, 1 June 2020, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 3 June 2020. It was answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury (Conservative) on Monday, 8 June 2020 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Northern Ireland Protocol: Food

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to paragraph 33 of The UK's Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol, published May 2020, what steps he is taking to ensure that there will be an adequate number of vets available to sign off the export health certificates which might be required for the shipment of food from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Answer: Our aim has been to support the market in meeting likely demand for Certifying Officers to certify export health certificates. We provided funding for training of veterinarians to become Official Veterinarians (OVs) which enables them to certify exports of products of animal origin. In addition, we have created a Certification Support Officer role freeing up certifier time and increasing capacity. As of May 2020 1,217 OVs have completed this training.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 51688
Session: 2019-21
Related items: The UK’s approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol
Wednesday, 20 May 2020
Command papers
House of Commons
House of Lords
Subjects: Food Northern Ireland Veterinary services Brexit Export health certificates Northern Ireland Protocol
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk