The North's Minister for Agriculture has decided not to enforce checks on pets travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland until at least October 1st.
Edwin Poots announced the unilateral action on Tuesday, saying he had decided to delay the introduction of the checks to allow further time for discussions between the UK government and the EU.
New arrangements for bringing pets and assistance dogs to Northern Ireland from Great Britain came into force on January 1st following the end of the Brexit transition period but their implementation had been deferred until July 1st.
The UK has Part 2 listed status under the EU Pet Travel Scheme, which means that pet dogs, cats and ferrets, and assistance dogs travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland must have an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) from a vet and arrive through an official point of entry.
They must also be vaccinated against rabies and dogs treated for tapeworm. Neither disease is present on the island of Ireland.
Discussions
Mr Poots said that after discussions with the North’s Chief Vet he had decided to extent the delay in implementing pet checks to give owners more time to prepare and to allow his department “to further scope the potential requirements for the introduction of checks and to educate the public further. “
He said he has written to the EU “on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland, highlighting that these requirements for pet travel are not necessary.
“Given that the last case of rabies on these islands was in 1922, these are unnecessary medical interventions.
“This issue is yet another example of why the Northern Ireland protocol is not fit for purpose,” Mr Poots said.
Unionists are opposed to the protocol because it places an economic border in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.
The DUP is campaigning to have it scrapped, and as the party’s new leader Mr Poots has pledged to take a tougher stance against it.
As Minister he attempted unsuccessfully last year to prevent the construction of infrastructure for carrying out physical post-Brexit checks at the North’s ports.
Meanwhile the EU’s ambassador to the UK, Joao Vale de Almeida, has said Mr Poots’ claims that the protocol is having a “devastating impact” and is causing “demonstrable harm to every individual in Northern Ireland” lacks “adherence to reality”.
‘No alternative’
The diplomat told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme that there was “no alternative” to the protocol and the EU was “politically, financially and emotionally, I would say, committed to peace and prosperity for everybody in Northern Ireland.
“The protocol is not the problem, Brexit created the problem in Northern Ireland,” he said.
"The protocol is a joint endeavour of the UK and the European Union, it is British law, European law, international law, there is no alternative to the protocol.
“Even those that criticise the protocol do not present an alternative which is compatible with the terms of Brexit so the protocol is the solution, we need to implement it and we want to implement it with pragmatism,” he said.
Additional reporting - PA.
