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Britain faces a chronic shortage of vets as experts warn that hundreds more will be needed to sign off meat and fish exports across the Irish Sea.
Strict European Union border controls mean supermarkets, food producers and Government agencies will need to find qualified vets to complete pages of documents for goods shipped between Britain, Northern Ireland and the EU.
There are growing concerns that gaps, already evident on shelves in Northern Irish branches of Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s, will become worse when new rules come into force in less than a month.
Most vets allocate less than a day a week from their normal duties to satisfy the new administrative burden
The deadline is the latest in a wave of painful border controls to rock the food industry this year
Around 75 per cent of all groceries bought in the province are sold by British chains Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Co-op, Iceland and Marks & Spencer, which ship the vast majority from distribution centres on the British mainland.
British Veterinary Association (BVA) president James Russell said between 400 and 500 vets working part-time will be needed to fill in additional Export Health Certificates for meat and fish products from sausages to salmon shipped to Northern Ireland alone. He said that was equivalent to 70 vets working full-time, with only limited help from ancillary staff possible.
Most vets allocate less than a day a week from their normal duties to satisfy the new administrative burden, he added, meaning far more needed to be found to ensure demands
