Defra and livestock
industry announce UK Export Certification Partnership (UKECP)
DEPARTMENT FOR
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (News Release ref
340:/08) issued by COI News Distribution Service. 28 October 2008
Defra and the UK
livestock export industry are launching a new partnership today to
help exporters enjoy a larger share of the global market.
The new UK Export Certification Partnership (UKECP), built on the
success of the Export Certification User Group that has been
meeting over the last six years, will further improve the use of
joint Defra/industry efforts to negotiate with non-EU markets.
Initially a three year trial, UKECP is an informal industry
working group that:
* liaises with the UK livestock and livestock product industries
to establish export market priorities;
* provides a forum to discuss the use of Defra agents to
negotiate export health certificates on behalf of the UK; and
* helps to draft and follow through the agreement of export
health certification which is generally required before exports
can commence.
Farming Minister Jane Kennedy said:
"Britain has a world-class livestock industry, but to get
the most out of competitive international markets it's
crucial that the Government and Industry works together. After
disease outbreaks in the past, the partnership between government
and industry has helped to speed the reopening of the
international markets, and this new partnership will strengthen
that response and widen the opportunities available to our exporters."
Peter Hardwick, International Manager of the Agriculture,
Horticulture Development Board Meat Services (AHDBms) said:
"The UK Export Certification Partnership strengthens the
already excellent co-operation between industry and government on
market access work. It will facilitate greater flexibility in the
allocation of resources to what is often a very time consuming and
complex process. International markets are essential to the
profitability of the UK meat and livestock sector and we are
confident that this new initiative will open up even more avenues
to develop further our international trade."
Notes for Editors
1. Following an animal disease outbreak in any country, animal
export markets will suffer because many countries will close their
borders to the import of animals and/or products of animal origin
until a lengthy negotiation process have been completed. This will
inevitably include the re-negotiation of export health
certification which is required for non-EU exports.
2. In the aftermath of the 2001 UK Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD)
outbreak a new working relationship between Defra's
International Animal Health Team and UK livestock and livestock
products exporters developed in the shape of a working group
called the Export Certification User Group (ECUG). ECUG has met
regularly over the years and has operated successfully as a
consultation and discussion group for the prioritisation of
certification activity.
3. After the FMD outbreak in 2007, a Recovery Programme with
Defra and Industry funding was taken forward. As part of that
programme, Defra officials and Industry representatives (primarily
from ECUG) visited priority markets to try and speed up the
process of re-establishing certification to allow exports to
recommence. The programme was very successful. Many important
markets were reopened far quicker than we managed back in 2001/2.
4. The demand from industry to recover markets also brings with
it the need for large numbers of certificates to be drafted and
followed up. This demand is greater than can be met by the
existing resources in Defra. This inevitably results in
frustration for both the exporters and importers, often leading to
potential export opportunities being lost. ECUG has shown that
industry can help to draft certification and alleviate some of
these bottlenecks.
5. The success of the 2007 Foot and Mouth Recovery programme has
led to discussions about how this method of partnership working
could be continued. The resulting proposal is for the Export
Certification User Group to evolve into a 3 year pilot initiative
called the UK Export Certification Partnership (UKECP).
6. The 3 main functions of UKECP:
a) Country visits - Industry representatives will be accredited
Defra agents and visit target countries to represent the UK's
Chief Veterinary Officer. They will explain the UK's animal
health status and animal health programmes to non-EU country
government officials and will discuss the wording of export health
certificates for UK exports to that country.
b) Certification - The industry partners in UKECP will draft
letters, export health certificates and other support documents on
behalf of Defra. Industry partners will consult with the relevant
UK industry sectors on the draft documents before submitting them
to Defra for final clearance.
c) The partnership will also take over the functions of ECUG in
consulting with the UK-wide industry on priorities for export certification.
7. Defra International Animal Health will work with Industry
partners in UKECP nominated by the following industry bodies, with
the objective of ensuring that all the sectors identified above
are properly represented:
* Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) Meat
Services, representing BPEX and EBLEX.
* Quality Meat Scotland (QMS)
* Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC)
* Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland (LMC)
* British Livestock Genetics Consortium Ltd (BLG)
* British Pig Association (BPA)
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