Vet concern over Brexit plans as report says Defra prevented from consulting by DExEU
12 September 2018
BVA is calling on the Government to fully engage with the veterinary profession before making any changes that could impact the UK’s ability to trade animal products safely and in line with high animal welfare standards
A
comprehensive report into Defra’s Brexit preparations by the National Audit
Office (NAO) claims that Defra has been prevented from consulting with the
veterinary profession over the shortage of vets by DExEU.
The
report, Progress in implementing EU Exit, states that Defra is one of the
government departments most affected by EU Exit and looks in detail at four of
Defra’s main workstreams, including ‘import of animals and animal products’ and
‘exports of animals and animal products’.
The
report notes that in a no-deal scenario there will be a significant increase in
certificates needing to be processed by veterinary surgeons. It states:
“Without enough vets, consignments of food could be delayed at the border or
prevented from leaving the UK. Defra intended to start engaging with the
veterinary industry in April 2018, but has not been permitted to do so and now
plans to launch an emergency recruitment campaign in October to at least meet
minimum levels of vets required. It plans to meet any remaining gaps through
the use of non-veterinarians to check records and processes that do not require
veterinary judgement."
The
British Veterinary Association (BVA) has previously outlined concerns about the
potential for diluting veterinary certification. BVA is calling on the
Government to fully engage with the veterinary profession before making any
changes that could impact the UK’s ability to trade animal products safely and
in line with high animal welfare standards.
Commenting,
BVA President John Fishwick said:
“The
NAO report is deeply concerning. It suggests that Defra has been working hard
to prepare for EU Exit with one hand tied behind its back by DExEU.
“Changes
to veterinary certification could have serious consequences for the UK’s
ability to trade animal products, which could have a devastating impact on our
agricultural industries. Our trading partners across the globe rely on the
quality assurance provided by veterinary surgeons, and any proposals must be
open for wide consultation."
The
NAO report also states: “there is a high risk that Defra will be unable to
deliver all the Statutory Instruments (SIs) it needs in time and it is
identifying those that it needs to prioritise…. In June 2018, Defra’s
legislation team reported to the Programme Board that ‘Defra is at a high risk
of being unable to deliver a full and functioning statute book by end March
2019’ and in July 2018 its secondary legislation programme was rated as red.”
Mr
Fishwick added:
“The
Government has pledged to ensure that standards of animal health and welfare
will be maintained or strengthened after we leave the EU. It is imperative that
existing legislation derived from the EU is on our statute books before next
March, otherwise we risk compromising our reputation for high animal health and
welfare standards.”