Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:-
“This answer from DAERA confirms the severe threat posed by the Protocol to our farming industry. Our subjection to the EU medicine regime, as it applies to vital veterinary supplies, means half of veterinary medicines relied on by NI farmers will be unobtainable.
“With over 50% of current veterinary medicines facing a Protocol ban, the situation will be dire in the farming industry. As outlined in the answer, critical products such as cardiovascular medicines, anaesthetics and vaccines, including those that prevent salmonella and E. coli, will be banned.
“As the Minister says “the discontinuation of vaccines in NI would have particularly severe repercussions for animal health and welfare here and give rise to unnecessary animal suffering not to mention the risk it would present to human health and trade. This could, in turn, impact on the wider agricultural industry as animal health is directly related to the productivity and profitability of farm businesses.”
“This is what comes from surrendering control of our own laws to a foreign regime whose rules dictate what medicines can and can’t be used. This is intolerable and a practical illustration of the folly of the iniquitous Protocol. Only restoration of control over our own laws can deal with this situation.
“As the Protocol beds in and comes into full force we will see more and more it’s destructive impact on multiple sectors. Last week we heard of the dire consequences in the transport sector, now we see it’s poison in the farming sector.
“Hence, anyone who cares about Northern Ireland and its economy – and even its animals – should be resolute in determining that the Protocol must go.”
Note to editor
You can read the relevant question and answer here.