Working with the EU, the UK Government has agreed a new Scrapie Qualifying Status (SQS) within the existing Scrapie Monitoring Scheme (SMS) for breeding sheep, which will facilitate the movement of breeding sheep from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. Once SQS status is achieved, operators will be able to move breeding sheep and goats from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, provided they comply with other conditions of the relevant Export Health Certificate. Following three years of compliance with SQS rules, operators will progress to Controlled Risk status on the Scrapie Monitoring Scheme. Applications for Scrapie Qualifying Status need to be made by 31 December 2021 and details are available through SRUC. Defra will continue to work closely with trade bodies, SRUC and DAERA over the coming months to make operators aware of the SQS solution. From 1 July 2021 we have included the cost of scrapie testing for GB-NI movements in the Movement Assistance Scheme. Government Response: Moving animals across borders 13 We put forward proposals to address these problems in the Command Paper Northern Ireland Protocol: the way forward in July 2021. In the longer term our proposals recognise that the UK’s high biosecurity standards should form the basis for livestock travel within the UK, which should operate as it did so successfully before our EU exit.