The British Veterinary Association has raised disease risk concerns following the Government’s suspension of the introduction of extra border checks on live animal imports from the EU and some animal and plant foods from Ireland ahead of the UK-EU deal.
BVA president Dr Elizabeth Mullineaux said: “It’s vital the UK has robust import controls as a key line of defence against disease, and this remains the case whilst an UK-EU agreement is agreed.
“Although we recognise the Government’s ambition to facilitate smoother trade with the EU, and removing these extra checks should reduce delays for animals in transit, we are concerned that suspending these planned checks serious implications for the UK’s biosecurity while the details of the UK-EU deal continue to be negotiated.
“The Government must engage with the veterinary profession to ensure that efforts to ease trade do not come at the expense of the UK’s human and animal health and welfare whilst at the same time progressing an UK-EU agreement as quickly as possible.”
