“Priorities need to become promises" - BVA president John Fishwick.

BVA comments on government’s response to Brexit report

British vets have urged the Government to turn its Brexit farm animal welfare priorities into promises.

On Thursday (12 October), the government published its response to the House of Lords EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee’s report on Brexit: Farm Animal Welfare.

It states: “Many vets working in the UK are EU nationals … and the Prime Minister has made clear that securing the status of the veterinary workforce is a top priority. Ongoing negotiations as part of the Article 50 negotiations will help firm up our commitment to do this.”

The government’s response to the report also outlined an intention to retain the UK’s high standards of welfare. It agreed that the UK should seek to avoid these potentially being undermined by cheaper imports produced to lower animal welfare standards.

Commenting on the response, BVA president John Fishwick said: “We welcome the Government’s acknowledgement of the veterinary workforce as a top priority, and value the close working with the profession to ensure a flexible and skilled workforce which meets the UK’s needs post-Brexit.

“The impact of losing even a small percentage of the workforce could have serious repercussions on the practices, communities, specialist areas and industries we serve.

“Priorities need to become promises. We will continue urging the Government to guarantee the existing rights of all non-UK EU vets and vet nurses living and working in the UK to provide reassurance to the colleagues who have been living in uncertainty for the past 18 months.”

Mr Fishwick also called for immediate action to enshrine Article 12 on animal sentience in UK law through the EU Withdrawal Bill.

“The response suggests a number of possible measures to prevent high UK animal welfare standards being undermined by cheaper imports produced to lower animal welfare standards,” he continued. “Consumers must continue to have confidence in the food they eat when we leave the EU, so it is important that this commitment is embedded in future UK trade policy."

He added that the UK must also see a single standard applied to the production of animal products to avoid the potential for animal welfare breaches and food fraud that is associated with multile parallel standards.