Travel regulations are changing…
Abstract
Most of us should now be well accustomed to the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) regulations (998/2003) that came into force in the UK on 1 January 2012. But many people may not realise that further amendments to these regulations are set to come into effect on 29th December 2014.
The EU are introducing new pet travel regulations (576/2013) which are designed to consolidate existing EU regulations, improve the security of the pet passport and assist with the enforcement of the rules. The primary requirements of the scheme will remain the same, but there will be big changes:
Full details on the current rules and upcoming changes are available to read on the GOV.UK website. In addition, the BVA and DEFRA have produced a free webinar entitled ‘The EU Pet Travel Scheme: information and updates’, available to view on The Webinar Vet website (www.thewebinarvet.com/bva-webinars). As well as detailing the upcoming changes to PETS, this webinar also explores a brief history of pet travel regulations, provides an overview of the current rabies situation in Europe, addresses concerns about compliance and considers the responsibilities of veterinary professionals.
It is very much of the opinion that veterinary professionals play a central role in ensuring pet travel compliance. This includes correctly issuing pet passports, explaining to clients the importance of the regulations and the reasons for protecting their pets when travelling, ensuring pets are suitably protected from exotic diseases and prepared for travel, and reporting any concerns, e.g. suspected diseases and illegally imported pets.
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