WITH Westminister MPs strongly backing Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan for the UK to leave the EU on January 31st next, equine businesses should ensure they are fully abreast of any updates to the movement of horses and ponies between Britain and Ireland and the EU to avoid or minimise travelling delays.

Post election, MPs voted 358 to 234 in favour of the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill which will undergo more scrutiny in parliament from January 7th-9th. Johnson’s Conservative government maintains it will get this bill into law in time for the January 31st Brexit deadline.

The bill proposes to ban any extension of the transition period – during which the UK is out of the EU but follows many of its rules – past 2020.

Insisting a trade deal with the EU can be in place by the end of the transition period, the Prime Minister said Britain was “one step closer to getting Brexit done” but critics responded that this timescale is unrealistic.

Amid fears that ruling out an extension could see Britain leave the UK without a deal, political insiders said that a phased trade deal with the EU could be negotiated, taking months and possibly years to complete.

Meanwhile, some information pertaining to the movement of equines has been updated last week on the www.gov.uk website. Equine businesses on both sides of the Irish sea have been advised to keep checking in with this website under the ‘Brexit’ section – Animal and Plant Health Agency Section for the latest releases.