The recruitment of veterinary professionals for carrying out veterinary controls and inspections in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter. This means that the responsible department is the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland (DAERA).<\/p>
<\/p>
Veterinary controls and inspections do not only take place in ports and airports but include work done on farms and in various types of establishment, including slaughterhouses.<\/p>
<\/strong><\/p> During the month of June 2020 (being typical of the base-line position for calendar year 2020) the number of staff employed by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland to carry out veterinary controls and inspections was in the order of:<\/p> - 114 qualified veterinarians,<\/p> - 69 qualified meat hygiene inspectors, and<\/p> - 27 trainee meat hygiene inspectors.<\/p> <\/p> At that time the number of staff employed in northern Ireland\u2019s ports and airports, and authorised to carry out veterinary controls and inspections and participate in the goods clearance process was of the order of:<\/p> - Veterinarians \u2013 1<\/p> - Portal Inspectors \u2013 41<\/p> <\/p> Inspectors working in the ports are not meat hygiene inspectors but are portal inspectors who have received training in that specific role. Meat hygiene inspectors are only employed in DAERA\u2019s Veterinary Public Health Programme which delivers the Official Controls in Food Business Operator premises on behalf of the Food Standards Agency for Northern Ireland.<\/p> <\/p> When the grace period provided for by the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland expires Northern Ireland the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs currently estimates that the number of staff required to conduct veterinary controls and inspections in Northern Ireland will, in total, approximate to:<\/p> - 186 qualified veterinarians,<\/p> - 69 qualified meat hygiene inspectors, and<\/p> - 27 trainee meat hygiene inspectors.<\/p> <\/p> The most recent estimates for the numbers of staff that will be required to conduct veterinary controls and inspections in Northern Ireland ports and airports, when the grace period provided for by the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland expires, is as follows:<\/p> - Veterinarians \u2013 72<\/p> - Officially authorised portal inspectors \u2013 122<\/p> - Officially authorised portal administrative officers \u2013 80<\/p> - Industrial grade animal handlers \u2013 12<\/p> - Stevedores \u2013 72<\/p> - Veterinarians, Portal Inspectors and admin staff - 3<\/p> <\/p> DAERA is on track to spend a total of £16m on personnel, infrastructure and IT systems to the end of the current financial year for the work necessary to carry out the required sanitary and phytosanitary checks at Northern Ireland\u2019s Points of Entry.<\/p> <\/p>"}
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