Training fund to help vets prepare for Brexit
A £300,000 training fund is now available for vets and local authority officials to assist with Brexit preparation.
The UK Government has announced a £300,000 training fund for vets and local authority officials to support preparations for the end of the Brexit transition period.
After 1 January 2021, exporters of live animals or animal products will need an Export Health Certificate – a document that confirms that the export meets the minimum health requirements – to send to the EU.
The same level of certification will also be required for the export of live animals and animal products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. This is a requirement under the agreed Northern Ireland protocol and includes equines that currently move between France, the UK and Ireland without health certification.
A press release from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) states: 'Health documentation is certified by either Official Veterinarians (OVs) or Food Competent Certifying Officers (FCCOs). The new fund aims to boost the number of vets that are qualified to certify products of animal origin and equines for export.
'It will also aim to increase the number of Certification Support Officers (CSOs) who can support OVs and FCCOs through a range of preliminary tasks to prepare consignments for certification but cannot sign health documentation in their own right.'
Further information about the new funding for free training is available here. Once vets have completed their training, they will need to register their business on EHC Online to ensure that exporting businesses can use them to certify their goods from 1 January 2021.
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
