Deputy Minister for Farming and Food, Rebecca Evans, is seeking views on new proposals to provide an alternative to the six-day standstill, without compromising biosecurity.
The Minister today announced she was launching a consultation on the introduction of Quarantine Units (QUs) as an exemption to the current six-day standstill arrangements for cattle, sheep and goats.
Rebecca Evans said:
“We are determined to do everything we can to help support a prosperous, sustainable industry underpinned by healthy livestock. The changes proposed in this consultation are designed to simplify current systems, establish consistent rules across species, and reduce the administrative burden on farmers in line with objectives in the Strategic Framework for Agriculture and the Working Smarter report. I would encourage anybody with an interest to respond.”
The Working Smarter report, produced by Gareth Williams, provided 74 recommendations to the Welsh Government on better regulation in the farming sector. One of the recommendations related to the unpopularity of the six-day standstill rules associated with the movements of cattle, sheep and goats.
The Welsh Government has been working with the industry to simplify and reduce bureaucracy for farmers and the consultation launched today is looking for views on the benefits of implementing QUs, as well as the proposed legislative changes and the operational rules required.
The consultation, which will run for 10 weeks and closes on the 12 February 2016, is available on the Welsh Government website.
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