To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for an update on progress made on a UK-EU veterinary agreement.

Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, the Northern Ireland (NI) Protocol and domestic legislation, Northern Ireland must continue to align with the European Union’s sanitary and phyto-sanitary (SPS) rules.

I am opposed to the detrimental impact of these additional rules on NI businesses and consumers, and the barriers they place on the intra-United Kingdom (UK) movement of animals, goods and products, from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Therefore, I will continue to engage with Ministerial colleagues to explore all available options that can minimise the impact of these new European Union requirements on intra-UK trade.

Discussions are ongoing between the UK Government and the EU Commission via the UK-EU Joint Committee, aiming to find viable solutions on a range of issues related to the Northern Ireland Protocol, including those stemming from the mandated SPS checks.

The establishment of a common SPS area, under the terms of a potential UK-EU veterinary agreement could assist in facilitating trade in live animals and agri-food products, which would be welcome; however, it would not address the entirety of the new rules associated with implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Responsibility on any future alignment of the UK with the EU SPS rules, as well as the negotiation of any EU-UK veterinary agreement, rests solely with the UK Government.