EU agrees to extend grace period for Northern Ireland to receive veterinary medicines from GB
The European Union has approved the continued supply of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland from Great Britain until December 2025.
The Protocol means, Northern Ireland continues to be bound by EU rules on veterinary medicines even though they no longer apply in the rest of the UK following Brexit.
The grace period - which allowed their continued purchase from the UK – had been due to come to an end at the end of the year.
European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic said it was a "practical solution to a practical problem" while underlining the EU's commitment to resolving the wider issues around the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly welcomed the announcement which he said would offer "greater certainty" for the veterinary medicines industry in Northern Ireland.
The rules will also cover Cyprus and Malta.
"By extending the current arrangements to December 2025 were are giving ample time to adapt," Mr Sefcovic said in a statement in Brussels.
"This is a practical solution to a practical problem and it underlines our genuine commitment to engaging constructively with the UK to find agreed solutions around the protocol.
"I therefore hope that we can carry today's positive announcement into other areas of our discussion. I am convinced that there is a window of opportunity for a positive outcome for the benefit of people and businesses in Northern Ireland."
The DUP expressed relief at the extension but said grace periods only represented a "sticking plaster" solution to the wider problems with the protocol.
MP Carla Lockhart, the party's environment spokeswoman, said: "This whack-a-mole approach must stop.
"This agreement is only to 2025. The can has only been kicked down the road.
"What we need urgently is the EU and our Government to find a new agreement that addresses these intolerable restrictions on the flow of goods within the UK.”
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