‘Pet passport’ improvements welcomed

Date published: 11 July 2011

Ferrets, cats and dogs will qualify for new and improved ‘passports’ from January next year.

Britain is to adopt in full the EU pet movement system which makes it easier and cheaper for people to travel with their pets while maintaining controls against the spread of rabies.

Microchips inserted in the animals’ flesh take the place of paper documents.

Pets travelling to and from EU countries, as well as Australia, Japan and the USA, will only have to wait 21 days after vaccination instead of 6 months as at present. Blood tests will no longer be required.

Animals coming from ‘unlisted’ countries such as China and India will not have to undergo compulsory quarantine but must be vaccinated against rabies four months before travel and be blood tested.

The Government says that hundreds of thousands of animals have been moved since the EU scheme was introduced in 2003 without one single case of rabies being associated with them.

Rochdale Liberal Democrat Euro-MP, Chris Davies, worked on the ‘Pet Passports’ legislation when it was first introduced, and said that it was based on developing practice in Britain with only minor differences.

But he explained that ferrets had presented a particular problem.

“MEPs were unsure whether to allow ferrets to have a passport because the results of blood tests weren’t certain in the case of kittens and ferrets. Eventually we were persuaded that the risks were so small as to be negligible.

“So have ferret, will travel!”