Question reference: S6O-01507
- Date lodged: 26 October 2022
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Current status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 3 November 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its discussions with the UK Government regarding any impact in Scotland of a potential veterinary agreement between the UK and the European Union to enable regulatory alignment of sanitary and phytosanitary products moving between the UK and the EU.
Answer
To date, there has been no constructive engagement from the UK Government on a Veterinary Agreement based on regulatory alignment. It is Scottish Government policy to continue to align with EU standards. If the UK Government were to engage and agree to this, it would make a UK-EU veterinary agreement straightforward and eliminate many trade barriers. Unfortunately the UK Government’s refusal to engage prevents this from happening. We continue to urge the UK Government to explore the possibility of such an agreement at the earliest opportunity.