Written question asked by Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 27 October 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 2 November 2009. It was answered by Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour) on Monday, 2 November 2009 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Dogs: Quarantine

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will amend the policy of quarantine for animals entering the UK to exclude rescue dogs attached officially to recognised Urban Search and Rescue organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: The Government recognise the excellent work carried out by search and rescue dogs in responding to overseas disasters, such as the recent earthquake in Indonesia, and their rapid and valuable response to such emergencies.We also appreciate the difficulty the current quarantine requirements cause for owners of these rescue dogs, particularly the rule requiring that dogs coming into the UK from certain countries, including Indonesia, are placed in quarantine on their arrival. This long-standing rule is in place to protect the UK from the incursion of serious diseases such as rabies.DEFRA has discussed the case of Darcy the search and rescue dog with representatives from Essex County Fire and Rescue Service. Although the rabies quarantine legislation does not provide for an absolute exemption from quarantine to be granted in these circumstances, the Government are hopeful that we will be able to find a training regime which proves an acceptable compromise between the needs of these dogs, and the requirement that we protect the UK from devastating diseases like rabies. Darcy will also be able to travel from the UK to any other country to help with search and rescue if there were to be another emergency.

Secondary information