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:
- A new style pet passport will be introduced with additional security and tracking features, including laminated strips to prevent tampering, details of the person issuing the passport and the date from which a pet may travel following their rabies vaccination. Any passport issued before 29th December 2014 will remain valid for the life of the pet, or until it is full.
- A person implanting microchips will be required to meet a minimum level of qualifications — don't worry, RVNs will not require any further training.
- EU wide checks — at present there are very few checks carried out by authorities for pets travelling across road borders on mainland Europe.
- A 12 week minimum age for rabies vaccination will be introduced to simplify compliance checks. At present, the same vaccine may by licensed for administration at different ages in different EU countries.
- Owners can travel with more than five pets under PETS providing they are registered to attend a show, competition, sporting event or training for such an event.
- Clearer definition of ‘non-commercial movement’ of pets will enable owners to travel within 5 days of their pet when travelling by air from outside the EU. Owners will be required to sign a declaration stating that they are not planning to sell or transfer the ownership of their pet. All animals travelling for trade or rehoming must comply with the EU Directive 92/65 (the Balai Directive).
- Quarantine periods will be capped at 6 months and will allow pets to be released from quarantine after this period, even in exceptional circumstances when a pet will not develop the required antibodies to the rabies vaccine.
- Clearer definitions of what constitutes a dog, cat and ferret to prevent the travel of wild animals under PETS.
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.
There are a number of resources available to veterinary professionals to assist with the complexities of managing pet travel preparation. I work for the not-for-profit organisation ESCCAP UK & Ireland and we work with pet owners and veterinary professionals to raise awareness about the threats from parasites and to provide information and advice about parasites and their control. We have developed a number of travel resources such as Europe-wide parasite distribution maps, dog travel maps and best practice guidelines (www.esccapuk.org.uk and www.esccap.org). We are currently in the process of creating a Travelling Pets Timeline which will serve as an online resource to consolidate pet travel regulations and travel plans and provide a tailored ‘timeline’ detailing the requirements and recommendations for comprehensive protection.