Mrs Lockhart raised the issue in Parliament with the DEFRA Minister. Speaking afterwards she said,“The risk from foot and mouth is very significant to our livestock industry. Anyone who remembers the impact of the outbreak just over 20 years ago will know exactly why stringent restrictions are put in place.
However, whilst an outright ban has been put in place for the rest of the UK, Northern Ireland has only restricted imports from disease control zones within Germany. Not only was there no response from the Department locally until more than 48 hours later, but the restrictions are less stringent.
Northern Ireland is subject to EU regulation and the impact of this cannot be ignored. Whilst we must obviously work closely with the Republic of Ireland, there should be no reason why Northern Ireland does not have the best possible protections in place against this disease. Northern Ireland agriculture deserves the best possible protection, rather than slavish adherence to regulations simply because they suit the European Union.”
Foot and Mouth restrictions should be based on protecting farmers - not following EU rules
17 Jan, 2025
Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart has questioned why Northern Ireland farms are placed at higher risk of Foot and Mouth Disease. The commercial import to Great Britain of cattle, sheep, pigs, and their products such as meat and dairy has been banned from Germany. However, due to restrictions of the Windsor Framework, the same level of restrictions does not apply for Northern Ireland.
