Fresh efforts are under way to remove the need for NI livestock to complete a six-month residency period in Britain before returning from pedigree sales back to NI.

The issue stems from the Brexit deal which came into effect in January 2021, although a potential solution to the six-month standstill for NI livestock was agreed between the EU and UK last year.

The new arrangement allows NI cattle and sheep to return from pedigree sales in Britain within 15 days if the event is licensed for export by the Surrey-based Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

However, export approval by APHA involves a list of off-putting rules and requirements for both livestock marts and pedigree breed societies.

As a result, very few sales have actually been held under the arrangement and there appears to be little prospect of export sales occurring this year.

The Irish Farmers Journal has learned that senior officials from the UK government and DAERA are re-engaging with livestock marts and the APHA to find a workable solution for holding export approved sales in Britain.

UFU frustration

Frustrations with the current requirements are made clear in a new submission by the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) to members of the House of Lords.

“If the issue can’t be resolved by the end of the year, the UK and EU will need to re-open discussions on this topic,” reads the UFU’s response to the European Affairs sub-committee.

The union point out that a key problem surrounds the need for all animals to have the same health status at export approved sales.

For cattle, this means English and Welsh breeders need to complete TB tests beforehand, although Scottish breeders are exempt as the country has TB-free status.

Other issues include requirements around keeping NI livestock separate during export sales, and rules about holding ordinary non-export sales in different rings on the same day.

“Issues around APHA interpretation of the rules are making things difficult and creating fear within livestock marts about who is responsible if something goes wrong,” the UFU said.