TRAINERS in Northern Ireland, such as Stuart Crawford, can continue to send horses to race or be sold in Britain, just as before. The problem is bringing them back.

Crawford, based in Larne, said: “We haven’t gone across yet. We were set up to send a runner to Market Rasen last weekend but decided not to travel. There was a bit more preparation involved but it wasn’t too bad.

“Coming back into the north is a wee bit of an issue. It will take a bit of organisation but it’s not an impossibility.”

Northern Ireland remains within the EU single market and this requires documentary, identity and physical checks to be carried out on relevant goods as they enter Northern Ireland from Britain.

Earlier this week Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture advised horse owners to become familiar with the new regulations for moving live animals from Britain to Northern Ireland.

Equine movements between Britain and Northern Ireland will require:

  • An export health certificate completed by an official veterinarian in Britain
  • Pre-notification and upload of supporting documentation in advance to Northern Irish points of entry at Larne or Belfast ports via the EU’s TRACES website.

    • To assist owners and businesses in moving equines the Department has created a specific webpage containing all relevant information and outlining the process involved.

    The Department confirmed there will be no changes in the way horses and other equines are moved directly from Northern Ireland to Britain. These movements will continue as before.

    One piece of additional documentation that will be required for Northern Ireland resident horses entering Britain is evidence of the date of leaving the North. This is applicable to registered equines entering Britain for racing or other competitions or cultural events and returning home.

    Evidence of the date of leaving the EU/NI is required to avail of the Export Health Certificate that allows re-entry back into the EU/NI within 30 days after temporary export without the need for blood testing.

    A new bipartite agreement between the Republic and the North has been agreed by the two Department of Agricultures to allow movement of equines, other than for slaughter, to continue between both jurisdictions without veterinary certification.

    In theory there is a loophole here for trainers and breeders in the Republic to send horses to Britain via Northern Ireland and remove a lot of the paperwork and costs, although the route is far more circuitous.

    Useful websites

    daera-ni.gov.uk/euexit

    daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/equine-end-transition-qas

    webgate.ec.europa.eu/tracesnt/login