Since the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) wrote to third countries on 21 December 2018, we have continued to work with third countries to ensure that the UK’s Export Health Certificates (EHCs) remain when the UK leaves the EU.

93 countries have responded and no notifications have been received from third countries stating the UK’s EHCs will be not be accepted.

On 21 December 2018, the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) wrote to third countries outlining our plans for the continued use of existing Export Health Certificates (EHCs) once the UK leaves the EU.

The CVO will be writing to third countries again in the near future to reaffirm this position.

All Export Health Certificates for exporting to third countries are already available on Gov.uk.

Exporters are required to have certified Export Health Certificates before goods leave the approved premises, therefore we do not anticipate any need for additional certifying officers at UK borders.

To date, over 1000 vets are registered as official veterinarians that can certify Export Health Certificates – an increase of around 60% since February 2019. We have put in place a number of measures to increase certifier capacity, including introducing a new certification support officer role to assist certifiers in collating the evidence needed, as well as providing free training for vets.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Defra are committed to making our services as easy as possible for our customers. As of December, Exporters and Official Veterinarians are able to download any current Export Health Certificate (EHC) online. In parallel, we are developing a new system for EHCs that is designed to allow the integration of e-certification in the future.

If the UK leaves the EU in March 2019 with no deal in place, requirements for trade with third countries should not change. Our approach, tested with our largest trading partners, is to continue to use our existing export health certificates for an initial period. Defra is working to agree this with all destination countries.

We expect an increase in demand for EHCs for animals and animal products of 150-300% which need to be signed off by an Official Vet or in some cases by an Environmental Health Officer. This wide range is due to the lack of clarity on what conditions the EU will apply.

We have analysed the existing number of official vets. Over 6,000 have the general exports qualification. Nearly 700 have recently re-validated their qualifications for food products, who will be active in this field, many part time as part of a portfolio of veterinary activities.

To support the veterinary profession, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has agreed to the use of Certification Support Officers (CSOs). Official vets will still sign off EHCs. The new CSOs will handle some of the preparatory aspects of EHCs, freeing up the official vet’s time and capacity to provide the final assurance required. A training programme will be made available free of charge initially.

In a no deal scenario the increase in demand for EHCs is likely to be closer to 150% due to the imposition of full tariffs and requirement to enter via border inspection posts. EU certificates are also simpler than many third country EHCs and there are likely to be some scale savings from bigger exporters.

Taking into consideration all the above factors, we estimate the market will need increased capacity of about 50 full-time equivalent Official Vets. Our contacts with the veterinary businesses which provide certification services indicate that between the capacity they already have, the use of CSOs, and the ability to bring more vets into the market, it should be able to meet demand.

Supporting UK businesses to export more is a top priority for the Government.

Exports of animal products from the UK to 3^rd Countries are subject to the need for an Export Health Certificate (EHC) which provides assurances that the consignment complies with the importing country’s requirements. We will continue to agree bilateral arrangements with 3^rd countries and issue appropriate EHCs.

The Government is negotiating our exit from the EU. Defra is working with the Department for Exiting the European Union to look at future arrangements, including for the UK’s system for the management of agri-food imports and exports with EU countries.