The Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) was introduced by the European Parliament in 2000 to allow the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Finland and Malta to apply stricter travel controls than the rest of the EU, in order to protect against the importation of rabies, exotic ticks and Echinococcus multilocularis tapeworm. The biggest change to PETS since its introduction happened in January 2012 when the UK aligned their pet travel rules with the rest of the EU. This included:
- The removal of the mandatory tick treatment
- The reduction of the wait after the rabies vaccination from 6 months to 21 days
- The removal of the blood serology test after rabies vaccination
- The extension of the praziquantel tapeworm treatment window to not less than 24 hours and not more than 120 hours (between 1 and 5 days) before the dog's scheduled arrival time in the UK.
Statistics from DEFRA state that the number of dogs entering the UK under the new rules rose by over 60% in the first year. However, evidence also showed that the importation of dogs from Eastern European countries Hungary and Lithuania increased by 663% and 780% respectively between 2011 and 2013. This suggests that the PETS system was being abused by commercial dealers in Eastern Europe to illegally import puppies for sale into the UK. Despite only 2.5% of pets being found to be officially non-compliant with the new PETS rules in 2012, these figures do not represent how many animals passed through customs undetected with false passports and they also do not take into account any non-declared pets smuggled into the country (Dogs Trust, 2014).
In light of concerns surrounding the security of the pet passport and the enforcement of the rules across Europe, the EU issued updated pet travel regulations (576/2013) on 29th December 2014 which included:
- A new style pet passport
- A 12 week minimum age for rabies vaccinations
- EU wide border checks
- Minimum standards for microchipping
- A cap of 6 months on quarantine periods
- Clearer definitions of ‘non-commercial movement’ and of what constitutes a dog, cat and ferret.
With over 90% of the dogs entering the UK via PETS in 2015 having travelled from other EU member states (Kennel Club, 2016), one message is very clear: it takes Europe wide coordination to effectively manage the safe and secure movement of pets abroad and to target the use of fraudulent pet passports and the illegal importation of pets.
The risk to travelling pets from exotic diseases will not be affected by the UK's decision to stay in or leave the EU, although the ease by which pets can travel around Europe may be. The EU rules on pet travel are only a part of what is required to keep our pets and country safe from exotic disease. In 2015 over 65 000 dogs were imported into the UK via PETS and, in total, over 160 000 dogs entered the UK under PETS in 2015 (Kennel Club, 2016). This provides a high risk of imported exotic diseases travelling into the UK. However, this risk is significantly reduced by taking preventative measures — the most obvious being to correctly abide by the PETS rules. In addition to this, it is highly recommended that:
- Pets are treated for tapeworm with a product containing praziquantel throughout the duration of their travels and once having arrived in the UK
- Pets are treated for ticks throughout the duration of their travels and once having arrived in the UK
- Pets are examined every 24 hours for ticks and any ticks found removed with a proprietary tick removal device such as a tick hook — owners should also be vigilant for any ticks found on themselves
- Pets are kept indoors at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes and sandflies are most active
- Pets be assessed well in advance of travel (ideally 2 to 3 months before) to ensure that a comprehensive parasite and disease prevention plan can be formulated (e.g. Dirofilaria repens prevention should start before travel and continue after travel in line with product data sheet requirements.
- Pets be assessed with regard to their lifestyle as well as their travel destination e.g. whether they swim, hunt, roam off lead — these factors will all affect the risk group of the pet and impact on the formulation of a bespoke disease and parasite prevention plan
- Pets are checked thoroughly on return to the UK and that veterinary professionals and owners remain mindful of exotic disease should any signs of illness occur post travel.
Even if the UK re-established a quarantine period or mandatory tick treatment for pets entering the UK, the illegal movement of pets into the country will continue regardless, pets will always continue to be imported and people will always continue to move in and out of the UK with their pets. These all hold the potential to transport exotic vectors and disease. Ian Wright, the head of parasite awareness organisation ESCCAP UK & Ireland, spoke out about the risks of imported disease, stating that ‘only by close cooperation with European agencies, drug companies and UK bodies such as Public Health England (PHE) and Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) can we possibly hope to monitor these pathogens, reduce their spread and remain vigilant to their introduction to the UK. Such cooperation will also be vital in helping to renegotiate pet movement rules based on sound epidemiological data and risk’ (ESCCAP UK, 2016).
A change in legislation does not prevent us from continuing our relationships within the EU. Looking further at pet travel, despite the mandatory tick treatment being removed from PETS in 2012, it has still been commonly advised throughout Europe that pets should be treated for ticks while travelling. This is not a matter of abiding by the rules, but instead a mutual desire for improved animal health and an important step to prevent the spread of tickborne diseases throughout Europe. ESCCAP UK & Ireland have pledged to ‘continue to maintain close ties with fellow ESCCAP national organisations across Europe, as well as with parasitologists and public health bodies…to combat parasitic disease and be an up to date source of information for veterinarians across the UK and Europe’ (ESCCAP UK & Ireland, 2016). In an age of digital media, it is easier than ever to communicate throughout Europe, whether we are part of the EU or not. Only together will we really make a difference to the health and wellbeing of pets, the protection of our countries from exotic diseases and ongoing improvements to the industry. As the BVA stated, we must ‘retain an outward looking and inclusive perspective through our relationships with international partners' (BVA, 2016). Whether we ‘Brexit’ or ‘Bremain’, this message is still the same.
