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Union responds to Quarantine Units consultation

‘Complicated and confusing’: Livestock movement rules
‘Complicated and confusing’: Livestock movement rules

NFU CYMRU has called for sensible and practical rules to accompany the introduction of Quarantine Units on farms in Wales in its response to a Welsh Government consultation.

The Union sees the introduction of Quarantine (isolation) Units, with workable rules attached to them, as an essential element of a wider package of measures to simplify the current complicated and confusing livestock movement rules.

The proposals allow for the introduction of approved Quarantine Units which will let farmers bring cattle and sheep onto their farms. Then by placing them within the Unit for a minimum of six days, the farmer would be able to move animals off the remainder of the holding, providing an alternative to the whole farm 6-day standstill.

NFU Cymru Deputy President John Davies said, “We recently welcomed the Welsh Government consultation that proposes the rationalisation of the current County Parish Holding (CPH) system. At the time we highlighted that the full benefits, in terms of a simpler and more robust disease control regime, could only be achieved if concurrent to the CPH changes farmers also had the ability to implement Quarantine (isolation) Units on farm. Both of these were recommendations of the December 2011 Gareth Williams Working Smarter report. We really need to see the Deputy Minister move forward with implementing these measures without any further delay.

“We do need to ensure that the costs associated with approving these units are reasonable and as importantly the conditions attached to operating both indoor and outdoor units are not impractical or prohibitive to farmers. I look to the industry being fully involved in finalising and agreeing the guidance notes and approval conditions.

Mr Davies concluded, “The 6-day standstill remains one of the most unpopular regulations within the farming industry. Standstill arrangements were originally brought in as a result of the devastating 2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak. We would very much highlight that the most important task is for Government and its agencies to prevent exotic diseases entering the country through vigilance and stringent controls at our ports and border inspections posts.”

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