UK food trade exports severely disrupted by Brexit-related vet shortages, BVA warns

24 Feb 2022 --- A sharp decline in qualified vets needed to sign off health certificates for certain food products going to EU is causing major disruption.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) reports a chronic shortage of veterinarians after the total of new EU registrants’ work presence dropped two-thirds in the last two years. 

The shortages are costing the food industry up to £60 million (US$81 million) in costs to exports alone. Many food businesses can no longer afford to export to the EU due to additional export costs. 

With the number of EU vets registering to work in the UK dropping by more than two-thirds, it exacerbates extreme demands on the UK veterinary cohort, states the SPS Certification Working Group SPS. 

This has severely depleted the availability of qualified staff to certify the paperwork now required for export to the EU and anywhere in the world.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) shows that the number of registrants attending work fell by 68% from 1,132 in 2019 to 364 in 2021. The UK’s veterinary workforce relies on EU registrants, with RCVS data from 2021 indicating that 29% of the total existing workforce graduated in the EU.

The BVA represents the views of more than 19,000 vets, vet students and veterinary policy issues to government and parliamentarians in the UK and EU. It warns that this drop could result in wide-ranging direct and knock-on impacts across the sector, especially in areas such as international trade and public health.Export to the EU from the UK is in distress due to a shortage of veterinarians and veterinary certifications.

“The potential consequences are worrying. If we can’t find long-term solutions to veterinary workforce shortages, we will see impacts on animal welfare, public health and international trade,” James Russell, BVA senior vice president, explains.

According to the SPS Certification Working Group, data from the UK’s Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) suggests that applications for food-related export health certificates (products of animal origin and livestock) spiraled by 1255% from 2020 (22,990 in total) to the end of 2021 (288,558). 

UK food industry in dire straits
The BVA report shows current export certification arrangements are unsustainable given the massive amount of veterinary time required to complete certificates. The process requires the physical presence of vets and many other functions, attestations and administration. 

The process carries roughly £60 million (US$81 million) in costs to exports with no added value. The British Meat Packing Association (BMPA) says exporters cannot demand more of their EU customers in a market where their EU competitors do not face these costs, so they have to absorb it.

“The entire British food industry needs a solution which removes the need for these processes, and that requires a comprehensive veterinary agreement with the EU based largely on some form of alignment. Not only will this cut costs, but it will put veterinary resources back where it is needed,” states the BMPA.

The new requirements particularly impact short shelf life foods, considering that delays in transportation compromise the ability to sell these products. Consequently, UK exports of short shelf life chilled prepared foods to Europe are now largely unviable. 

“It’s critical that vets get as much support as possible to keep on top of workloads and navigate continued challenges ahead,” says Russell. 

“We know that the government is alive to the situation, and measures such as more vet school places and better digitization of the certification process will help to relieve some pressures in the long term.”

“Vets are working incredibly hard, but it’s an uphill struggle to comfortably cover all the work currently required. Moving some vets around to plug the gaps is just robbing Peter to pay Paul, as it can lead to issues with backfilling roles in other areas which desperately need to keep staffing levels up, such as large animal work,” Russell urges.

Certification problems disrupting food tradeRoyal College of Veterinary Surgeons research shows a 68% drop in veterinary registrants.
Food and feed trade associations, haulers, farmers and veterinary and environmental health professional organizations have also come forward to the SPS Certification Working Group to highlight the continued financial and human costs of post-Brexit red tape.

In just one year (to November 2021), the new Export Health Certificates (EHCs) requirements imposed on exports to the EU are estimated to have cost at least £60 million (US$81 million) in paperwork. More than 288 thousand EHC applications required the equivalent of 580,000 certifier hours, approximately 285 certifier years. 

With the number of EU vets registering to work in the UK dropping by more than two-thirds, it exacerbates extreme demands on the UK veterinary cohort, states SPS. This has severely depleted the availability of qualified staff to certify the paperwork now required for export to the EU and anywhere in the world.

According to SPS, the UK’s food industry would need to generate around £3 billion (US$ 4 billion) of total additional sales in the first year of Brexit to cover the additional costs.

Many food businesses can no longer afford to export to the EU due to these cost burdens. This means that many companies have ceased to trade with their previous largest export market, impacting livelihoods and the UK economy.

“These already disturbing figures are an underestimate of the total cost to industry as they exclude bulk orders of EHCs from the Animal and Plant Health Agency made in one request and the wider costs of Brexit SPS requirements,” says Karin Goodburn, chair of SPS Certification Working Group and director of the Chilled Food Association.

“Without urgent action, the situation is only set to deteriorate, and there are no quick fixes. For example, it takes more than five years to train the vets required to certify the EHCs. However, we are proposing solutions and call on the government to support us in ensuring the viability of our food businesses.”

By Inga de Jong