Corporate report

APHA: business impact target assessments, 2021 to 2022

Updated 15 December 2022

The business impact target (BIT) is a cross-government target for the reduction of regulation on business. Find out more about the BIT.

Under the BIT, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) assesses the financial impacts on business of qualifying regulatory provisions (QRPs). QRPs are changes to regulatory practices that are described in a written ministerial statement. We assess the impacts of these changes through BIT assessments.

We submit BIT assessments for QRPs to the Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) for validation.

Non-qualifying regulatory provisions (NQRPs) are excluded from the BIT as set out in a written ministerial statement. We submit NQRP summaries to the RPC for validation.

Read about the scope of QRPs and NQRPs in the written ministerial statement.

Qualifying regulatory provisions

APHA has no QRPs for the reporting period 17 December 2021 to 16 December 2022.

Non-qualifying regulatory provisions

APHAs NQRP summary for the reporting period 17 December 2021 to 16 December 2022 is listed in the table below.

Excluded Category	Summary of measures, including any impact data where available
Civil Emergencies	The 2021 to 22 avian influenza outbreak had a total of 152 confirmed cases of H5N1 highly pathogenic, in England, Scotland and Wales. Since the start of the avian influenza 2022 to 23 outbreak, on 1 October 2022, a total of 131 confirmed cases (120 in England, 3 in Wales and 8 in Scotland) of H5N1 HPAI have been confirmed. APHA Bee Teams have responded to routine endemic disease only in this period, which is treated as business as usual. There have also been 4 confirmed sightings of Asian hornet. Plant Health dealt with 39 outbreaks, varying in type, which required eradication action. The most frequent being 13 incidences of Ramorum disease (Phytopththora ramorum).’
Fines and Penalties	Egg Marketing and Salmonella Controls: 11 Penalty Notices totalling £6,926.00 and 11 warning letters issued. APHA referred 921 cases to the Rural Payment Agency (RPA) for consideration of applying cross compliance penalties for those farmers who failed to tuberculosis (TB) test on time. APHA has assisted Defra with the development of the Ivory Act to prohibit the sale of ivory and the introduction of civil sanctions as an enforcement tool to deal with any offending. The Ivory Act 2018 (commencement No.2) Regulations 2022 came into force on 6 June 2022. The number of advice letters given in the reporting period is 72.
Casework	APHA continues to register and inspect a range of premises and licence movements of animals, the export of animals, animal by-products, plants and plant products. Also control the import of animals, plants and bees and trade in bovine and porcine semen and embryos. APHA issues authorisations to hauliers for the transport of animals. APHA licence trade in endangered species and register certain birds kept in captivity. APHA undertakes surveillance to detect the presence or spread of animal, bee and plant diseases/pests and inspect farms and other holdings in response to reports of disease or conditions of animal welfare.
Education, communications and promotion	Regular guidance published for importers, exporters, official vets, associated industries and those travelling with pets on what is required of them to comply with requirements, including how and when to take the required action. Also, direct communications to official vets and others affected. Multi-channel alerts, advice, guidance and information provided in respect of avian influenza, to help ensure poultry keepers, vets, associated industries and the public understand the threats and potential impacts, as well as biosecurity requirements, restrictions and controls. Channels include leaflets, posters, videos, graphics, press, and mass messaging (email / SMS). Direct communications, blogs, media and social media to promote understanding of the government and industry approach to the control of a range of plant and animal diseases. Campaigns to ensure that all those involved with animals understand the importance of high welfare standards and take the necessary action to meet legal requirements.
Activity related to policy development	Since the onset of the war in Ukraine, incoming pets to the UK have been managed by APHA. The number of applications received to date is 3,035. It is worth noting that not as many pets came into the country as a number of applications were later withdrawn. Applicants importing pets from Ukraine must now complete an online application, as opposed to an ID106 form, to notify us of intent to import a non-compliant pet. Applicants importing pets from Ukraine do not have to pay the quarantine costs for that pet, which has not been the case in previous years. Applicants are able to apply for home isolation instead of having the animal quarantined for the full isolation period, for this we require them to complete a form providing us with the home details. When applicants have animals in home isolation, they are required to keep in touch with their assigned veterinary delivery partners (VDP) vet by weekly phone calls to keep them updated on the pet’s condition.

For detailed guidance on the exclusion categories, read Better regulation framework.