TAWC publishes paper on The Way Forward: A Common Veterinary Agreement with the EU and UK
January 21, 2025 12:21 pmThe Labour Government has commited to taking forward a Common Veterinary Agreement with the EU and even. made a manifesto commitment to:
Seek to negotiate a veterinary agreement to prevent unnecessary border checks and help tackle the cost of food and work to improve the UK’s trade and investment relationship with the EU, by tearing down unnecessary barriers to trade.
The Trade and Animal Welfare Coalition (TAWC), formed of the leading 15 animal welfare organisations in the UK, produced a paper in 2023 examining the models for such an agreement, on one side the EU-Switzerland Common Veterinary Area (CVA) and at the other end EU-New Zealand Veterinary Agreement (VA). This report, based on primary research by Cerebrus Associates, looked at the impacts of these agreements on animal welfare, in particular on the movement of animals, disease controls, combating illegal trade and veterinary inspections and paperwork.
TAWC then convened a roundtable in October 2024 with representatives from industry, veterinary bodies, animal welfare organisations and trade experts to examine what type of Agreement would maximise benefit to animal welfare, veterinary issues and trade. Both the Swiss and New Zealand styles of Agreement bring different advantages and disincentives in terms of products covered, controls enforced and implications on non-veterinary issues as well as on animal welfare.
The paper formally published today examines these issues and makes recommendations to improve these areas. You can read the document clicking the link below.