Warning veterinary strike action could result in supermarket shortages in Northern Ireland

The Department for Agriculture in Northern Ireland has warned major industrial strike action by vets and animal food inspectors could result in potential shortages in supermarkets.

The action is being taken over a failure to reach an agreement in an ongoing pay dispute for civil servants.

Unions, NIPSA and GMB, have said their members are fed up with “abject pay awards”.

If no resolution is found before Monday 30 October, it’s expected members will walk out for five days.

In a statement, DAERA said it "fully respects the rights of colleagues to take industrial action and regrets sincerely that the budget situation that civil servants are trying their best to manage has meant that it has not been possible to provide a meaningful pay award for NI Civil Service staff".

"If strike action proceeds as has been indicated, there will be significant disruption to the delivery of many of the department’s veterinary and animal health functions, including delivery of official controls and other official activities across Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) inspection facilities, meat plants and field operations.

"If there is no resolution to the current pay dispute, the industrial action is likely to present issues in relation to animal health and welfare, public health and continuity of agri-food supply chains.

"At this stage, DAERA cannot guarantee that they will be able to provide their statutory services from 30 October to 3 November 2023 and would stress to operators of businesses that rely on these services the importance of activating their own business continuity/emergency plans.

"The Department very much hopes that a resolution to the current position on NI Civil Service pay can be found as soon as possible."

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