Thread by @faisalislam

Tonight at 2200 on @skynews i’ve been in the port of Larne, Northern Ireland with Daisy the cow, who could save the Brexit Deal or imperil the Union, depending on your view...#backstop #borderforcows

in the Northern Ireland port town of Larne, one of the places where Irish Sea checks would be required under EU Ireland Brexit backstop proposal, currently being negotiated in Brussels..
and one of the places where checks actually already happen on animal trade between Sco & NI

Barnier mentioned these existing “Irish Sea” checks as a precedent yesterday - but would have to be tenfold increase for backstop...DUP source said this was building “an entire edifice” on some foot & mouth checks for cows..MEP Diane Dodds said checks on lasagne as well as cows

The facts here are that around 10,000 cattle and 30,000 sheep coming from Scotland to NI are subject to “risk-based” veterinary checked, approx 10% are “offloaded” and checked in a facility which does not amount to a “livestock border in the Irish Sea” the senior vet tells me

The backstop would appear to either up these offloading checks to 100% and /or expand to products of animal origin too.... an agreed veterinary agreement with EU should reduce such requirements, but won’t happen with no Deal etc

FULL STORY:
Of backstops, livestock borders, Irish Sea Borders, DUP blood red lines, GB-only third party trade deals, voting down Budget, and suggesting Tories change leader if they want to keep the Confidence & Supply...all roads & sea lanes lead to Larne news.sky.com/story/larne-th…