Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs written question – answered at on 15 September 2025.
Marsha de Cordova
The Second Church Estates Commissioner
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of processes for transferring animals between the EU and UK for breeding conservation programmes.
Angela Eagle
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Defra continues to work closely with the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) to address immediate challenges to the cross-border movement of animals between the UK and EU. This includes the availability of Export Health Certificates and Border Control Post capacity.
As announced at the UK-EU Leaders’ Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, aimed at reducing trade barriers to facilitate the safe and efficient movement of goods, including zoo animals of conservation significance. We’re expecting to start negotiations in the autumn, once the EU has confirmed their mandate. We want to see businesses benefit from removing barriers to trade as soon as possible, and we will provide further updates in due course.
Yes0 people think so
No0 people think not
Would you like to ask a question like this yourself? Use our Freedom of Information site.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
