The Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) have written to MP Michael Gove welcoming the opportunity to ‘virtually’ meet due to a need for political intervention in British animal feed sector businesses.
After a month of exiting the EU, UK manufacturers and supplier of feeds and feed materials are finding a significant number of barriers to entry such as demanding completed EHCs, phytosanitary certificates, entry into TRACES NT and veterinary checks at BCPs, all of which they were previously assured they would not need.
AIC Chief Executive, Robert Sheasby, asked Mr Gove to “raise this issue with the European Commission as a matter of urgency in order to achieve the clarification and certainty that our feed member businesses require”. He welcomed Mr Gove to meet ‘virtually’ to discuss alongside AIC businesses in the feed sector who are currently unable to export.
Having frequently raised the issue with Defra and APHA colleagues and AIC are yet to receive any clear guidance on how to resolve the issues.
Problems have been particularly challenging for feeds containing animal by products such as milk and milk derived products, gelatine and collagen, hydrolysed proteins, eggs, dicalcium phosphate, chondroitin and glucosamine.
The AIC represents the £9 billion UK Agri-supply industry, with members supplying livestock feed, fertiliser, crop protection products, seeds as well as the marketing of cereals and oilseeds to customers in both the UK and EU.
