Accessibility Statement - NIFAIS veterinary and export assembly centre services

This website is run by Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Northern Ireland. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website.

For example, that means you should be able to:

• change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings
• zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
• navigate most of the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software
• listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website aren't fully accessible:

• User is unable to tab through the content provided in pop up windows, the tabbing continues on the screen behind the pop up. The user is also unable to close the pop up using only the keyboard causing a keyboard trap.
• missing first level headings identified throughout the application.
• contrast issues identified throughout the application, elements must meet minimum colour contrast ratio thresholds.
• no 'skip to main content' link has been provided to allow user to bypass content.
• When using assistive technologies such as a screen reader it repeats some components multiple times

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact the DAERA Helpline who will direct you towards the correct branch or division.

• email daera.helpline@daera-ni.gov.uk
• call 0300 200 7852

You can also contact the DAERA Helpline if you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille.

If you have a hearing difficulty you can contact DAERA via Text Relay using the Next Generation Text Service (NGTS). Making a call from a textphone dial 18001 + number. Making a call from a telephone dial 18002 + number.

There are also various Text to Speech applications available to use

If you cannot view the map on our contact us page, call or email us for directions.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact contact the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI).

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

DAERA is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.

This website is non-compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

• User is unable to tab through the content provided in pop up windows, the tabbing continues on the screen behind the pop up. The user is also unable to close the pop up using only the keyboard causing a keyboard trap. (2.1.2)
• Missing first level headings identified throughout the application. (2.4.6)
• Document should have one main landmark, ensure all page content is contained by landmarks. (1.3.1)
• Contrast issues identified throughout the application, elements must meet minimum colour contrast ratio thresholds. (4.1.2)
• Redundant links identified, if possible combine the redundant links into one and remove any redundant text. (2.4.4)
• Elements should not have a tabindex greater than zero - Ensure tabindex attribute values are not greater than 0. (4.1.2)
• Long descriptions have been used for the DAERA and NIFAIS logos, alt text should generally be no more than 100 characters). (1.1.1)
• Elements must only use supported ARIA attributes - Ensure an element's role supports its ARIA attributes. (4.1.2)
• Elements must only use permitted ARIA attributes - Ensure ARIA attributes are not prohibited for an element's role. (4.1.2)
• Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e accessible name) combination - The landmark must have a unique aria-label, aria-labelledby, or title to make landmarks distinguishable. (4.1.2)
• No 'skip to main content' link has been provided to allow user to bypass content. (2.4.1)
• 'Initiate Assembly' page title does not update and remains the same as the previous page the user has navigated from. (2.4.2)
• Fieldset missing legend – If a higher level description is necessary for the user to understand the function or purpose of the controls within the fieldset, provide this description within the < legend >. (1.3.1)
• ARIA hidden element must not be focusable or containe focusable elements - Focusable content should be disabled or be removed from the DOM. (2.4.3)
• Multiple form labels identified - Ensure that at most one label element is associated to the form control. If multiple form labels are necessary, use aria-labelledby. (2.4.6)
• Some content requires the user to unnecessarily tab through multiple times to navigate to the next content - EAC batch. (1.3.2)
• Downloading documents from the export declaration screen causes a change of context as it opens the download in a new window without advising the user of this change.(3.2.2)
• When using assistive technologies such as a screen reader it repeats some components multiple times, identified on radio buttons. (3.2.4)
• The 'Initiate Assembly' screen overrides some user inputs when 'Special sheep sale' is selected, when 'America' or 'Direct slaughter' is selected when entered it was overwritten to 'EU' and 'Breeding or production'. This causes a change of context as it isn't what the user originally entered, is this due to selecting special sheep sale? If so consider placing the SSS checkbox before the drop down and populate fields depending on selection. (3.2.2)

Disproportionate burden

• Not applicable

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

This application uses mapping functionality and imagery extensively. Maps are one of the items which are excepted from the accessibility legislation, provided essential information is provided in other ways. However, we will attempt to make the functionality of map viewers as accessible as possible within these limitations.

PDFs and other documents

The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services.

Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

DAERA is actively engaged in improving the accessibility of its applications. As part of our 'UX Checklist', we require developers to design software with accessibility compliance built in. In those circumstances where compliance cannot be met, reasons for this should be documented, along with steps for addressing issues. We also endeavour to carry out user research to ascertain user requirements and conduct usability workshopping before launching new applications.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 09 October 2025. 

This website was last tested on 08 October 2025 against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard.

The test was carried out by DAERA Digital Services Division.

We tested the following pages:

• Landing page
• Home
• Export declaration
• Move into EAC
• Licence pending
• Licence approved
• Initiate assembly
• EAC batch 

We chose to test those pages which were most commonly used, and most representative of the general functionality and layout of the web application. Sample pages were tested for code compliance using the Axe and WAVE testing tools. The pages also underwent manual testing to ensure they adhered to the four Accessibility principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust). We also test using NVDA screenreader, and Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker (where applicable).

The full accessibility test report can be made available on request.