High hopes that time, cost and red tape governing horse transport will be slashed by new EU deal
A new agreement concerning the movements of food and animals is set to be formally signed at a summit on 20 November
Hopes are high that the costs, delays and red tape involved in transporting horses between the UK and EU could soon be slashed.
When Britain left the EU, travelling horses overseas came with a whole new raft of extra paperwork and expense. A new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement, which concerns movements of food and animals, is set to be formally signed at a summit on 20 November.
It is hoped that this will make it easier to travel horses between the UK and EU, which includes Ireland.
A statement from the office of Nina Carberry, the former jockey who is now a member of the European Parliament (MEP), said the agreement “is expected to remove existing export health certificates, costing up to £200 per consignment and reduce checks at designated border control posts”.
Export health certificates have to be signed by a vet before each journey, which is costly and time-consuming. H&H has also covered numerous stories of hold-ups at border control posts since Brexit.
Ms Carberry, the European Parliament’s lead MEP on EU-UK relations, stressed that the deal must come into force as soon as possible.
“This is very welcome news for the equine industry. For trainers, breeders and sales companies moving back and forth between Ireland and the UK, these additional costs and delays have been a real frustration since Brexit,” she said.
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“Since 2019, thoroughbred movements between the EU and UK have fallen by around 25%. Hopefully, this deal will see those numbers boosted again by removing unnecessary barriers to trade.”
She added that the next step is to finalise the agreement and said she will be “pushing that this deal is fast-tracked through Parliament”.
“We now need to turn this progress into real improvements on the ground for the people who breed, train, transport and compete with our horses,” she said.
“In the longer term, we also need to focus on simplifying customs arrangements and improving digital identification systems to reduce costs, cut duplication and make it easier to move horses between Ireland and Britain.”
Jan Rogers of the British Horse Council told H&H the deal “will hopefully eliminate the need for export health certificates to and from the EU for equidae as well as border checks”.
“This will mean huge savings for competitors and breeders in racing and sport,” she said.
“The detail will emerge following the summit, and it will mean some changes within the UK domestically as the agreement (subject to confirmation) will mean that some of our processes will have to change in order to dynamically align back with EU animal health law.”
A Government spokesperson told H&H: “We are building an ambitious, close relationship with the EU that will strengthen our economy, protect British industry, and create more opportunities for young people across the UK.
“A food and drink deal could deliver up to £5.1 billion a year for the UK economy, slashing the costly red tape that only helps drive up supermarket prices and stifle trade.”
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.