Northern Ireland is an integral part of the United Kingdom. To ensure successful delivery of the Northern Ireland Protocol, and recognising that the unique requirements for moving goods within the UK’s own customs territory could result in some businesses facing a difficult period of adjustment, the Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS) provides support to businesses serving Northern Ireland. Sitting within a wider package of readiness measures, MAS supports traders moving agri- food commodities and live animals into NI on terms compliant with the NI Protocol by: • Providing advice and guidance to inform traders of what the new requirements are and what they need to do to satisfy them; • Providing a charging remuneration scheme that waives and/or covers the direct certification costs traders will incur as a result of the new requirements. Fourth Special Report of Session 2021–22 9 We have no plans to extend the MAS scheme for exports to the EU or non-EU countries and the scheme is predicated on the fact it should only support GB-NI trade. Nonetheless, the Government is committed to supporting the UK food and drink sector to export. There is extensive advice available to support businesses as they adjust to the new requirements including online guidance, videos, and sector specific webinars that businesses can easily access for information. The gov.uk website also provides a list of contacts covering Defra sectors, accessible to businesses seeking practical support. We continue to work closely with traders through the SME forum and the Food and Drink Sector Council Export Working Group (the EWG). The EWG ensures a coordinated and effective approach to exporter support across the UK. Defra’s ongoing work to support the commercial development of the consolidation and certification hubs aims to benefit all exporters, but particularly SMEs. The new hub guidance enables the consolidation and certification of small loads in new product areas, for example plants and plant products. We are also working to increase exporter access to hubs, by helping the logistics industry establish hubs in new regions of GB. The publication of guidance for pallet level seals for moving groupage loads to Northern Ireland provides further support to SMEs where there is a need to move smaller loads. We intend to extend this to the EU shortly. The additional work to digitise export certification aims to streamline the export certification process, by providing electronic certification and better integration with TRACES NT, the EU’s import and notification system. Taken as a whole, these actions aim to help all exporters, and certifiers, by reducing the time taken to complete, and cost of obtaining, the required export documentation, as well as improving access to the hub facilities for moving smaller loads into NI and the EU. We also continue to engage with the European Commission and the EU Member States, to ensure there is a common understanding of the EU’s export rules and how they should apply and to resolve any issues that UK exporters may be experiencing. The Government is considering other ways it can support exporters and information on this will be published in due course. However, it is worth noting that the requirements for export health certification for exports of animals and products of animal origin is not new. Exporters of such commodities have successfully traded to countries outside the EU under such requirements for many years.