The House of Commons’ Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee has launched an inquiry into Animal and Plant Health, particularly how changes to rules and inspections post-Brexit are affecting farmers and growers.
In a briefing, EFRA pointed out, ‘The UK’s animal and plant biosecurity capability is in a period of significant change: the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s critical infrastructure – notably its Weybridge headquarters – is partway through a muti-billion pound transformation project, a new regime of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks on goods from the EU is being implemented, and the UK is adapting to changed access to surveillance, people and skills. In this context, the Government has made ambitious animal welfare commitments and is seeking an SPS or veterinary agreement with the EU.’
The inquiry aims to provide consistent scrutiny of ongoing and emerging issues and opportunities relating to animal and plant health. The Committee will call for evidence on a regular basis and produce iterative and focused reports throughout the inquiry, with the first deadline on 29 January. In particular, in this round of evidence, the committee wants written evidence on any or all of the following:
- the adequacy of personal import controls on animals, plants and their products and the enforcement of controls;
- the adequacy of SPS controls on commercial imports, their enforcement, and the impact on businesses;
- the performance of Defra and its agencies (such as the APHA) in delivering the Border Target Operating Model and communicating and engaging with stakeholders;
- how any concerns detailed in your submission may be remedied (in advance, or in the absence, of an SPS agreement with the EU).
EFRA Committee Chair Alistair Carmichael MP commented, “The biosecurity measures we have in this country are of the utmost importance. Any weak points expose the UK to serious risks, such as African swine fever, which would have catastrophic consequences for the agriculture sector.
“In this inquiry, we are setting out to assess the adequacy of our biosecurity measures and will consider what could be done to strengthen biosecurity at the border. “We want to hear from the wide range of stakeholders with an interest in biosecurity, from the veterinary sector to the agricultural, forestry and horticultural sectors, to workers and businesses in the food and drink supply chain, and enforcement bodies for welfare, standards and hygiene, such as local authorities and port health authorities.”
