Forthcoming changes to EU pet travel legislation

[Nigel P]

Regulation (EC) No 998/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council(3) lays down the animal health requirements applicable to the non-commercial movement of pet animals into a Member State from another Member State or from third countries and the checks applicable to such movement. It aims to ensure a sufficient level of safety with regard to the public and animal health risks involved in such non-commercial movement and to remove any unjustified obstacles to such movement.

You have to laugh at the irony! The regulation's first paragraph describes exactly what they are not trying to do!

 

[maz]

Regulation (EC) No 998/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council(3) lays down the animal health requirements applicable to the non-commercial movement of pet animals into a Member State from another Member State or from third countries and the checks applicable to such movement. It aims to ensure a sufficient level of safety with regard to the public and animal health risks involved in such non-commercial movement and to remove any unjustified obstacles to such movement.

You have to laugh at the irony! The regulation's first paragraph describes exactly what they are not trying to do!

998/2003 was the forerunner of the current 576/2013, and was repealed when the latter came into force on 29 December 2014.

They are still seeking to remove 'burdensome mechanisms' for the incoming regulation.

 

[nigel dewbery]

Maz thanks very much for your learned input here, so to be clear, when we take our two Yorkshire Terrorists to France for last two weeks of June we will still need an AHC for each dog. And they are only valid for one trip. And when we get to Il De Re I need to book an appointment with the local vet to get them wormed around 24-120 hours before we get the ferry back from Dieppe on Sunday morning. It will take us 36 hours to make the trip from Il De Re to Dieppe and I don’t want to have to find a vet in between! Our vet charges £90 for first AHC and then £20ish each for each subsequent dog up to 4 extra dogs.

Could I get a European Passport for each dog from the vet on Il De Re? Would it be worth doing as the future legislation looks likely to change? How much would it cost per dog and what documentation/proof would I need to have with me? How long would they last for?

Thanks in advance!
Cheers!

Russ

Did same trip last year, great vet at Neufchâtel en bray near dieppe and on route

 

[maz]

Did same trip last year, great vet at Neufchâtel en bray near dieppe and on route

I don't believe they will issue a Pet Passport to a Brit tho'. Unless someone can confirm that they have recently obtained one there?

 

[kingmid]

Hi,
Apologies if this has been clarified before, Ive tried to find out I’m but still not 100% sure.
Pep already has a pet passport issued in Spain. It is due to run out in April so he needs a rabies jab.
We are usually there regularly but have been had to pause travelling to Spain due to ongoing health treatment. We thought the easiest way to get an update would be a trip to Ireland.
We plan to travel in the MH from Scotland to Belfast, then into Ireland, near Sligo to see a vet and have the passport updated.
My concern is that I’m unsure about tapeworm treatments travelling there and back. Do I need any, to get into NI, or into Eire, or on the return journey? I’ve also seen we may need to fill in an online form making them aware we are travelling into the E.U area?
Any advice welcome.
Thanks

Hope my reply isn’t too late. We travelled twice into NI from GB last summer with our dog without any checks. You do not need any tapeworm treatment to go into NI or to return from NI to GB. You do need tapeworm treatment to travel into the Republic say from Holyhead to Dublin.
Once you are on the island of Ireland you can travel over the border into the Republic freely without any checks.

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[Googlebot]

Thanks for sorting through all this maz, it’s very helpful and I am grateful.

I also hope it doesn’t become a political bashing post, we are where we are and it will get shut down otherwise.

I do think some people are missing the point with the reason they are looking at tightening the legislation, the EU are there to look after members interests, the ease of moving animals and pets is because all member countries adhere to the same standards so removing any barriers to imports and exports including animals. As we are now outside the EU we are subject to different rules as we have different standards. It is as simple as that.

I hope we end up with a reciprocal agreement, it was much easier. Though with the rise in providers of the AHC it has now got cheaper and easier. When I first got one and my own vet wanted £250 a dog I nearly fell off the chair.

 

[kingmid]

Thanks to Maz for this information and your hard work in keeping us informed. I will be following it closely.

 

[maz]

Thanks for sorting through all this maz, it’s very helpful and I am grateful.

I also hope it doesn’t become a political bashing post, we are where we are and it will get shut down otherwise.

I do think some people are missing the point with the reason they are looking at tightening the legislation, the EU are there to look after members interests, the ease of moving animals and pets is because all member countries adhere to the same standards so removing any barriers to imports and exports including animals. As we are now outside the EU we are subject to different rules as we have different standards. It is as simple as that.

I hope we end up with a reciprocal agreement, it was much easier. Though with the rise in providers of the AHC it has now got cheaper and easier. When I first got one and my own vet wanted £250 a dog I nearly fell off the chair.

The EU will be introducing a number of new regulations (currently at various stages) concerning animal health and welfare.

The UK is currently working on the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats & Ferrets) Bill. Amongst the proposals in this bill are that there should be a 6-month age limit for imports, and that the limit on the number of pets should be reduced from 5 per person to 5 per vehicle.

The Kennel Club wants a further reduction on the pet limit - to 1 or 2 puppies per vehicle - but they are not happy about the 6-month age limit as they believe it will affect the long-term viability of a number of breeds.

The Dogs Trust is happy with the 6-month age limit but wants the pet limit to be 3 per vehicle.

The British Veterinary Association wants tick treatments to be introduced for dogs and cats; a reduced tapeworm treatment window of 24-48 hours (which would be in line with the incoming EU regulation); tapeworm treatment to be introduced for cats as well as dogs; and the post-rabies vaccination waiting time increased to 12 weeks (currently 21 days), which would be in line with the 6-month age limit proposal.

Previous bills that failed to get anywhere were the Kept Animals Bill (withdrawn June 2023) and the previous version of the current bill, so it will be interesting to see if this one actually makes it into law.

 

[rb62]

The EU will be introducing a number of new regulations (currently at various stages) concerning animal health and welfare.

The UK is currently working on the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats & Ferrets) Bill. Amongst the proposals in this bill are that there should be a 6-month age limit for imports, and that the limit on the number of pets should be reduced from 5 per person to 5 per vehicle.

The Kennel Club wants a further reduction on the pet limit - to 1 or 2 puppies per vehicle - but they are not happy about the 6-month age limit as they believe it will affect the long-term viability of a number of breeds.

The Dogs Trust is happy with the 6-month age limit but wants the pet limit to be 3 per vehicle.

The British Veterinary Association wants tick treatments to be introduced for dogs and cats; a reduced tapeworm treatment window of 24-48 hours (which would be in line with the incoming EU regulation); tapeworm treatment to be introduced for cats as well as dogs; and the post-rabies vaccination waiting time increased to 12 weeks (currently 21 days), which would be in line with the 6-month age limit proposal.

Previous bills that failed to get anywhere were the Kept Animals Bill (withdrawn June 2023) and the previous version of the current bill, so it will be interesting to see if this one actually makes it into law.

It'll depend on how many of the few in the chamber at the time of voting have a clue what it's about and whether the Department for the Eradication of Farming and Rural affairs can cobble something meaningful together

 

[MichaelT]

The British Veterinary Association wants tick treatments to be introduced for dogs and cats; a reduced tapeworm treatment window of 24-48 hours (which would be in line with the incoming EU regulation); tapeworm treatment to be introduced for cats as well as dogs; and the post-rabies vaccination waiting time increased to 12 weeks (currently 21 days), which would be in line with the 6-month age limit proposal.

Good luck to any vet trying to get a worming tablet down a cat

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[Nigel P]

Thanks for sorting through all this maz, it’s very helpful and I am grateful.

I also hope it doesn’t become a political bashing post, we are where we are and it will get shut down otherwise.

I do think some people are missing the point with the reason they are looking at tightening the legislation, the EU are there to look after members interests, the ease of moving animals and pets is because all member countries adhere to the same standards so removing any barriers to imports and exports including animals. As we are now outside the EU we are subject to different rules as we have different standards. It is as simple as that.

I hope we end up with a reciprocal agreement, it was much easier. Though with the rise in providers of the AHC it has now got cheaper and easier. When I first got one and my own vet wanted £250 a dog I nearly fell off the chair.

I am not sure I agree. The PP is about rabies, nothing else. A rabies document trail is valid when administered by an authorised veterinarian, the parting of the ways for the UK and Europe did not alter the animal welfare standards, it simple removed the 'authorised' status of UK vets for pet purposes. The animal welfare 'standards' in various EU countries vary so widely they can hardly be called standards. Perhaps a reason much of their legislation is woolly is it tries to satisfy 20 odd countries who simply do not agree with each other. The same UK vet authorisation still extends to exports of livestock and animal products, it is just domestic pets that have been given the chop. The credentials of UK vets have not changed, it is a simple political decision. If the rules were to change back again those very same UK vets would be back on the 'authorised' list with no change in standards. Unfortunately our EU colleagues have far more pressing issues which push the pet business way down the list of priorities.

 

[maz]

Minor update

The minutes of the meeting of the EU Expert Group on Animal Health on 24 March have just been published. Not a lot to go on as regards details, and I don't expect there is any way of getting hold of the mentioned document WD1-New pet regulation - unless anyone is on the inside.

So we are now awaiting feedback from the Member States on the proposals (deadline 22 April), and the next meeting will be held in May.

Source: https://food.ec.europa.eu/document/...ert-group_animal-transporter_20250324_sum.pdf

 

[CAB96]

Minor update

The minutes of the meeting of the EU Expert Group on Animal Health on 24 March have just been published. Not a lot to go on as regards details, and I don't expect there is any way of getting hold of the mentioned document WD1-New pet regulation - unless anyone is on the inside.

So we are now awaiting feedback from the Member States on the proposals (deadline 22 April), and the next meeting will be held in May.

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Source: https://food.ec.europa.eu/document/...ert-group_animal-transporter_20250324_sum.pdf

Do you have a link to the Expert Group meetings list? They usually put the documents there along with the agenda.

 

[maz]

Do you have a link to the Expert Group meetings list? They usually put the documents there along with the agenda.

Yes, that's where I got the minutes from. I don't think they will publish working documents there tho', not until they are at the draft report stage.

Expert group on Animal Health

The aim of this group is to Advise the Commission on issues relating to animal health legislation, its implementation and policy development and to...

food.ec.europa.eu

 

[CAB96]

Yes, that's where I got the minutes from. I don't think they will publish working documents there tho', not until they are at the draft report stage.

Expert group on Animal Health

The aim of this group is to Advise the Commission on issues relating to animal health legislation, its implementation and policy development and to...

food.ec.europa.eu

Ah OK, they do with both that I deal with.

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[maz]

Ah OK, they do with both that I deal with.

Interesting. Which groups are you involved with?

The other working documents referred to in the minutes (WD2-5) all relate to existing regulations. WD1 is the interesting one. If you have any ideas as to how we might access it, please share.

 

[CAB96]

Interesting. Which groups are you involved with?

The other working documents referred to in the minutes (WD2-5) all relate to existing regulations. WD1 is the interesting one. If you have any ideas as to how we might access it, please share.

Nothing remotely related! PPE and Marine Equipment.

If you can't find it by a Google search then you're out of luck.

Sometimes the individual Member States will publish them, which Google might pick up. Have to be good with your search terms though

 

[maz]

Nothing remotely related! PPE and Marine Equipment.

If you can't find it by a Google search then you're out of luck.

Sometimes the individual Member States will publish them, which Google might pick up. Have to be good with your search terms though

Yes, it might be possible to find it quoted with some of the written feedback from Member States. Otherwise we will just have to be patient.

 

[maz]

Somewhat more interesting update

I have managed to track down all of the working documents mentioned in the Minutes of the Expert Group meeting.

All of these documents are marked as follows so I will not be reproducing them here:

This working document has not been adopted or endorsed by the European Commission. Any
views expressed are the preliminary views of the Commission services and may not in any
circumstances be regarded as stating an official position of the Commission. The information
transmitted is intended only for the Member State or entity to which it is addressed for
discussions and may contain confidential and/or privileged material.

The good news is that the new regulation proposed in WD1 contains in Article 15 the exact same derogation as Article 27 of the current regulation 576/2013. It is written in slightly simpler language, using the terms 'passport' and 'animal health certificate' instead of 'identification document', but otherwise is word for word the same derogation.

On that basis there should be no problem with British residents continuing to obtain and use EU Pet Passports. However, this is only a preliminary document so may be altered after taking into account feedback on the regulation from Member States, but hopefully not.

 

[15edward]

Thank you Maz

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[Googlebot]

Thanks Maz, you are a star.

 

[Jane NotRog]

Thank you, stellar work from a star!

 

[maz]

'What does it mean exactly?' update

A few of us have been wading through WD1 and a couple of items have come up.

The first is that the Article 15 derogation refers back to Article 7, which appears to be a misprint and should actually refer back to Article 6 in order to make sense.

The second is that Article 6 introduces the phrase 'Pet dogs, cats and ferrets kept in households situated in Member States'. This phrase does not exist in the current regulation 576/2013. The question is: does it imply residency as a requirement for the issue of Pet Passports? And if it does, will the Article 15 derogation only apply to Pet Passports issued to EU-resident pets?

Between us we are undecided as to what it actually means so, rather than offer up an interpretation that may be wrong, I will forward the link to the entire document to any subscribing member who PMs me.