Written question asked by Lord Morrow (Democratic Unionist Party) on Wednesday, 8 March 2023, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 22 March 2023. It was answered by Lord Benyon (Conservative) on Wednesday, 22 March 2023 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Livestock: Northern Ireland

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government how the (1) rules, and (2) processes, for transport of livestock to and from Great Britain will differ under the Windsor Framework from the position prior to 2019; in particular, the length of time that cattle are sent to an approved test centre before being sent to Northern Ireland.

Answer: The Windsor Framework respects that for decades the island of Ireland has been treated as a single epidemiological unit, meaning that there have been additional requirements for the movement of livestock. In 2021 technical easements were agreed with the EU to simplify the movements of livestock moving from Northern Ireland (NI) to Great Britain (GB) and back. Cattle moving directly from GB to NI do not need to be sent to an approved test centre before moving to NI, but need to arrive into NI through a Point of Entry for relevant sanitary and phytosanitary checks, as they did pre-EU exit. We are working closely with the livestock sector in GB and NI to ensure movements can continue with as little friction as possible.

Secondary information