Ms Louise Byrne:

I thank the Chair. I want to pick up on the point Senator Gallagher made regarding whether businesses were up to speed. It would be remiss of me to not make the point that while the UK has delayed the introduction of its import controls from 1 April, the next phase is kicking in on 1 October. It is very important that businesses take this opportunity to get ready for those import requirements. It poses a significant challenge to the State, as well businesses, in respect of providing advance notification to the UK's import of products, animals, food and feed system, IPAFFS, as well as the provision of export health certifications to the UK authorities.

We are engaging with our stakeholders and with businesses in this regard. We are also engaging with our colleagues in the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs, DEFRA, and across the UK in respect of trialling and end-to-end testing. A great deal of work is ongoing, and we will be intensifying our communications to stakeholders, which have been ongoing, to ensure that businesses are fully ready for these changes coming on 1 October. I just wanted to pick up on that issue.

I also want to address Senator O'Reilly's comment that it was encouraging that there was a prospect of a veterinary agreement. I think that is probably a little ambitious. We obviously welcome the ratification of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement last week. It allows the institutional frameworks within the agreement to get up and running, and included in those is the trade specialised committee on sanitary and phytosanitary, SPS, measures. While there was a significant focus on trade facilitation within the SPS chapter of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and while there will be discussions on that aspect, I am afraid to say that the UK's position concerning dynamic alignment does not bode well for an SPS agreement any time soon. I just wanted to make those points.