AQW 21084/17-22

Mr John Blair
Alliance Party
South Antrim

Tabled Date: 28/06/2021
Answered On Date: 22/07/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (i) what engagement his Department has had with the Northern Ireland cereals and oilseeds sector on continuing post-Brexit pressures; and (ii) what support has been made available to the sector to navigate these challenges.

Answer:

Since the end of the transition period, Departmental Officials have had frequent engagement with the Northern Ireland (NI) cereals and oilseeds sector on post-Brexit pressures. This included a webinar about the movement of agricultural seed, particularly cereal seed, from Great Britain (GB) to Northern Ireland (NI). Specifically, officials met with the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) and industry representatives regarding delays and difficulties in movement of seed from GB. Following meetings with DEFRA and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), a further meeting was held whereby DAERA officials provided details of mitigations that had been put in place to ensure that seed could move to NI as smoothly as possible.

In February 2021, officials provided guidance, via email, to inform stakeholders of the EU’s decision to grant equivalence to GB seed of fodder, cereal, beet and oil and fibre plants. It confirmed that the retrospective nature of the decision meant that DAERA would accept seed from GB with immediate effect, as long as it was certified under Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) rules and was accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate (PC). The guidance also provided links to the UK Government’s Movement Assistance Scheme, which can cover the cost of PCs, and to the Plant Varieties and Seeds EU Exit Q&A page of the DAERA website.

In April 2021, further guidance was provided to NI seed stakeholders detailing the steps DAERA had taken to address concerns expressed by industry, especially the cereals sector, to speed up the movement of GB seed into NI. The guidance also clarified the current OECD requirements for movement of seed from GB to NI.

Liaison with the UFU and industry representatives is ongoing and officials have sought to provide reassurance that current procedures are sufficient to ensure seed can move quickly and that step by step guidance is available to the seed supply industry in GB. In addition, officials continue to regularly engage with industry through CAFRE’s Business Development Groups; this allows for identified problems to be fed back to relevant officials for consideration.

As the situation regarding the movement of GB seed to Northern Ireland has been an evolving one, officials ensure that stakeholders are updated and informed at each step. As outlined above, this included guidance sent direct via email, updated information on the DAERA website and online meetings with stakeholders to address concerns.

Representatives from the seed industry expressed concern as to the cost of using OECD labels, which cost considerably more than the labels previously used. Therefore, DAERA purchased a large quantity of OECD labels, which can be provided to NI seed suppliers at cost price, ensuring that costs to industry are kept to a minimum.

Recently, industry in NI expressed concern at the potential waiting time for an Orange International Certificate to be issued in GB. My officials, working extensively with their counterparts in GB and in consultation with NI industry, were able to identify and implement solutions to ensure that seed can move from GB to NI with no additional delay.

For cereal seed, it has been agreed that a tetrazolium viability (TZ) test can be used in lieu of a standard germination test, for the purposes of issuing an Orange International Certificate for cereal seed. The TZ test takes approximately 24 – 48 hours and is significantly quicker than the standard germination test and will speed up the process for cereal seed moving from GB to NI.

It has also been agreed that “as grown” seed (seed which has not yet been certified) can move from GB to NI. This will allow “as grown” seed to move from GB to NI under grey OECD labels with final certification in Northern Ireland. Using this option will allow for the seed to move more quickly to help ensure that suppliers have security of supply to meet demands at sowing time. Guidance has been issued to stakeholders across the UK to ensure that industry is aware of what options are available.

My Department was also notified of difficulties with the time taken for GB authorities to issue the necessary PCs. My officials engaged with DEFRA as a matter of urgency to explore mitigations and deliver solutions. The outcome is that DEFRA now issue PCs on what is referred to as a visual inspection. This has significantly reduced the time taken to issue a PC and helps to ensure that seed is able to move between GB and NI as quickly as possible. There is a cost for the PC which falls to the GB suppliers, and these businesses may avail of help with this cost through the UK Government’s Movement Assistance Scheme.