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Quarantine

Answer

The pet movement derogations that apply to the UK as well as to Sweden, Ireland, Malta and Finland are due to expire on 30 June 2010. The extension to the derogations was granted as the European Commission is still considering its position regarding the shape of the Community pet movement rules that will be in place in 2010. DEFRA is currently engaged in discussions with the European Commission, the Department of Health and the other four member states with derogations with regard to our respective positions on pet movement controls come 2010.At present, pet animals entering the UK from third countries which are not listed in an Annex to EC Regulation 998/2003 as amended, i.e. the pet passport regulation, are required to be licensed into quarantine for a period of six months. Furthermore, pet animals from other third countries which do not comply with the animal health requirements laid down in that regulation may not freely enter the UK but will either have to remain outside the UK until such time as they meet the requirements in full or be licensed into quarantine in the UK. The regulation also requires that any pet animal entering the European Community from a third country which does not meet the entry requirements shall either be re-exported, kept under official control until such time as it does comply with those requirements or, in the last resort, be put down.For the majority of other member states, pet animals from countries not listed in the regulation may enter their territory without the need for quarantine as long as they have met certain pre-entry requirements, including rabies vaccination and a blood test.In 2006, my Department carried out a review of the UK rabies import control policies and as part of that review commissioned an independent scientific risk assessment on rabies import controls. This risk assessment has been published on the DEFRA website. The overall conclusion from the review was that our current controls may no longer be proportionate to the risk of rabies entering the UK. No changes have yet been made to our import controls for pets as a result of that review as we are reviewing further evidence to inform our discussions with the European Commission on the shape of the controls that should be in place in 2010.We are currently reviewing our position, including a review of published scientific evidence, on what the appropriate entry controls for pets, including those from countries with a less than favourable rabies status, would be for the UK.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

483 c1620-1W; 236354

Session

2007-08

Subjects

Pets Quarantine

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk