Debate contribution: The Animals (Identification, Records, Movement and Enforcement) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025: Prayer of Annulment
Debate contribution by Mr Patsy McGlone on .
- MLA
- Mr Patsy McGlone
- Party at the time
- Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Date
- 24 February 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- The Animals (Identification, Records, Movement and Enforcement) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025: Prayer of Annulment
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4813517
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Go raibh míle maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.
The SDLP stands in line with common sense to oppose the prayer of annulment on the identification, records, movement and enforcement regulations. To do otherwise and to support the prayer of annulment would be crazy. Members have already referred to enforcement of the requirements for farm traceability. It would remove the — sorry, there is none at the moment. The enforceability of the livestock regime creates, at present, legal uncertainty. Officials outlined to Committee members that, in those more extreme cases, they could not legally enter farms, conduct enforcement or prepare cases for the PPS. That is an awful position to be in. We need to have the situation clarified and the proper laws and regulations in place to allow that to be done. That is in the interests of farm manageability, animal welfare and sending out a message about what our industry is about: good standards and high consumer confidence. The issue has been lying since 2021 with no applicable legislation. We have had devolution for a year now, and there has been no action from the Department on what is a clear animal welfare issue and commercial issue for farm businesses for almost a year.
The Department has, in effect, been asleep at the wheel. In fact, an issue as important as ensuring traceability of our livestock was such an embarrassment to the Department that it asked the Committee to deal with it in secret.
It is important, however, that we arrive at the key issue, which is the message that we send out about consumer confidence in our meat industry. Let us deal with one fact, which is that the value of our food and live animal exports from the North to the rest of the island increased from £1·6 billion to £1·75 billion in 2023. What message do we want to send from here about the export market? That is the market solely within our own island. We want to send out a clear message about consumer confidence.
Absolutely, a chara.
I take the Member's point that food crosses the border daily, going up and down. The food from Ireland is good food and meets the highest standards, and the markets and customers that receive it get high-quality produce. It is important that that be the message that we send out from the Assembly today. It is the message that we must send out by rejecting the prayer of annulment.
412 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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