Brexit and Companion Animal Travel Flashcards
Pet travel
While the UK was part of the European Union there were five freedoms of movement provided for by the European single market – people, services, goods, money and pets.
Now that Brexit has happened and we have moved out of the European single market it is important to consider what changes there are regarding the movement of pets across countries.
Companion Animal Species. and travel
Although there are many kinds of pet animals transported by their owners, three species are subject to special consideration and legislation, i.e. dogs, cats and ferrets.
The reason for this is that these species are especially susceptible to rabies
Travelling or moving with a dog, cat or ferret was previously regulated mainly by EU laws.
Post Brexit regulation will be by GB law.
EU Pet Travel Scheme Categories.
The EU rules on the movement of pets depends on the owner’s country of residence.
There are three categories of countries -
Part 1 listed countries
Part 2 listed countries
Unlisted countries
To become part of the two first groups, a country must apply for the status at the relevant EU bodies.
Those countries and territories that did not apply or were not accepted, fall in the third group.
Part 1 listed countries and territories
operate under the same EU Pet Travel Scheme rules as EU member states and comprise a limited number of countries - Andorra, Switzerland, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Vatican City State.
Part 2 listed countries
- make up the majority of countries which need to meet additional conditions, such as the use of temporary health certificates.
Unlisted countries
If a country has not applied or has not been accepted as a Part 1 or Part 2 listed country, it means it is categorized as an unlisted third country.
Owners from unlisted countries are required to take certain specific actions several months before they travel to Europe.
New rules for pet travel from 1 January 2021.
New rules for pet travel from 1 January 2021.
The government has worked alongside the European Commission to ensure that pet travel can continue between Great Britain and the EU and Northern Ireland at the end of the transition period.
From 1 January 2021 onwards, the UK will have Part 2 listed status under the EU Pet Travel Scheme, meaning that people travelling from GB with their pets and assistance dogs will need to follow new requirements in order to travel to the EU and Northern Ireland.
Note –
GB refers to the island made up of England, Scotland and Wales.
UK encompasses GB and NI.
Travelling from GB to the EU or NI with a pet
Before taking a dog, cat or ferret from GB to the EU or Northern Ireland for the first time after 1 January 2021, owners must complete the following steps,
Ensure the dog, cat or ferret is microchipped.
Vaccinate against rabies and wait 21 days after the primary vaccination before travel
Treat against tapeworm 24-120 hours before landing, if travelling to a tapeworm free country.
Obtain an animal health certificate (AHC) from the vet for their pet, no more than 10 days before travel to the EU – the use of certificate rather than a pet passport is the only new requirement.
Pets and assistance dogs will also need to enter the EU through atravellers’ point of entry (TPE), which includes all the major French ports such as Calais, Caen and Dunkirk
Animal Health Certificate.
An Animal Health Certificate, along with any other official documentation, is a legal requirement in order to bring a pet animal into the UK or take it to a European Union country mainland Europe without quarantine.
The primary purpose is to keep the UK free from rabies, and other foreign diseases such as those transmitted by parasites that do not exist in the UK.
An animal health certificate (AHC) needs to be issued by an Official Veterinarian (OV), so owners will need to contact their practice to enquire about who they need to see.
In order to obtain an animal health certificate, an owner will take their pet, along with any vaccination and other medical records, to the issuing vet.
The Animal Health Certificate normally includes details of - Pet owner’s details Pet’s description Rabies vaccination details Rabies blood test (as required) Canine tapeworm treatment (as required) Intended country of entry
Travelling from GB to a non-EU country with a pet
An owner is required to -
Obtain an export health certificate (EHC) (also an export application form (EXA) if travelling from England, Scotland or Wales.)
An EHC checks that the animal meets the health requirements of the country travelling to.
Nominate an OV who will be sent the EHC and they will check the pet has met the correct health and identification requirements before travel.
Check the rules of the country travelling to for any additional restrictions or requirements before travel.
Pet Passports
Pet passports are still accepted in the UK from –
All countries in the EU.
Andorra, Azores and Madeira, Canary Islands, French Guiana, Gibraltar, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Martinique, Monaco, Norway, Reunion, San Marino, Switzerland, Vatican City.
Listed countries - Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Ascension Island, Australia, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Bermuda, BES Islands (Bonair, Saint Eustatius and Saba), Bosnia-Herzegovina, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Curaçao, Falkland Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Montserrat, New Caledonia, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Russian Federation, Saint Maarten, Singapore, St Helena, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Pierre and Miquelon, St Vincent and The Grenadines, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates, USA (includes American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US virgin Islands), Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna.
Travelling to Great Britain with a companion animal from the EU or NI with a pet
There was no change to the pre Brexit health preparations or documents for pets entering Great Britain from the EU or Northern Ireland from 1 January 2021.
An EU pet passport issued in a member state is still valid to enter GB.
Before they enter GB, all pets must be -
Microchipped
Vaccinated against rabies - the vet needs proof that the animal is at least 12 weeks old before vaccinating them (travellers from the EU and other listed third countries with pets need to wait 21 days after the primary vaccination before travel into GB.)
Travelling to GB with a companion animal from unlisted countries with a pet
Different rules apply when travelling to the UK from an unlisted country -
Rabies.
The animal must have been vaccinated against rabies and a blood sample taken at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination.
A vet must send the blood sample to an EU-approved blood testing laboratory from either inside the EU or outside the EU and the results of the blood test must show that the vaccination was successful (rabies antibody level of at least 0.5 IU/ml).
The owner must wait 3 months from the date the blood sample was taken before travel - you do not need to wait if the animal was vaccinated, blood tested and given a pet passport in the EU before travelling to an unlisted country.
The vet must give to the owner a copy of the test results and enter the day the blood sample was taken in a third-country official veterinary certificate.
The blood test will continue to be valid as long as the animal’s rabies vaccinations are kept up to date.
The UK has been rabies-free since the beginning of the 20th century, except for a rabies-like virus in a small number of wild bats.
There’s only been 1 recorded case of someone catching rabies from a bat in the UK.
Symptoms in people - without treatment, the symptoms of rabies will usually start after 3 to 12 weeks, although they can start sooner or much later than this.
Initial symptoms include - a high temperature, a headache, feeling anxious or generally unwell and potentially, discomfort at the site of the bite
Other symptoms start a few days later, including confusionor aggressive behaviour, hallucinations, excessive saliva or frothing at the mouth, muscle spasms, difficulty swallowingand breathing and paralysis.
Once symptoms appear, rabies is almost always fatal.
Echinococcus multilocularis in the context of pet travel
When travelling from countries not free from Echinococcus multilocularis a dog should be presented to a vet for an approved tapeworm treatment no less than 24 hours, and no more than 120 hours (5 days) before entering GB.
The treatment must -
Be approved for use in the country where the treatment is applied.
Contain praziquantel or an equivalent proven to be effective against tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis.
A dog does not need to be treated for tapeworm if travelling directly to GB from Finland, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland (NI), Norway or Malta.
There have been no known domestically acquired cases of Echinococcus multilocularis in the UK.
Echinococcus multilocularis is a tapeworm that can infect foxes and other canids, including domestic dogs and can cause serious illness in humans.
Cystic echinococcosis/hydatid disease - human infection withE. granulosusleads to the development of one or more hydatid cysts located most often in the liver and lungs.
Abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting are commonly seen when hydatids occur in the liver and if the lung is affected, clinical signs include chronic cough, chest pain and shortness of breath.
Alveolar echinococcosis - Alveolar echinococcosis is characterized by the slow development of a primary lesion which is usually located in the liver, causing weight loss, abdominal pain, general malaise and signs of hepatic failure.
Larval metastases may spread to organs adjacent to the liver or distant locations, such as the lungs or brain and if left untreated is progressive and fatal.
Quarantine.
The use of quarantine to determine an animal’s disease status before entry into the country was the most important method of keeping the UK free of certain diseases for many years.
The use of quarantine has declined in use in recent years due to the introduction of the pet travel scheme, however it is still required under certain circumstances.
