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The Pet Travel Scheme (or PETS for short) allows you to bring
your pet dog, cat or ferret into (or back into) the UK without
putting it into quarantine.
In
March 2010 the UK’s Pet Travel Scheme celebrated its 10th
birthday. A successful decade of driving dogs, caravanning cats
and ferrying ferrets, has seen 660,000 pet journeys made using
pet passports.
It
was 28 February 2000 when owners were first able to travel
to and from the UK without placing their pets in quarantine,
as long as they fulfilled certain important disease control
criteria.
The
scheme was set up in response to growing demand from owners
to travel with their pets and the declining risk |
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of disease
allowed these changes to be made. In 2004 the European Union followed
the UK’s lead and introduced a similar system for all Member
States which has also proved very successful.
The
success of the scheme is fully demonstrated by the fact that it
has not been associated with a single case of rabies.
Animal
Welfare Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said:
“The
Pet Travel Scheme was set up to enable British animal owners to
enjoy travelling with their pets when they need to. The success
of the scheme shows that responsible pet ownership makes a large
contribution to managing disease risks effectively.”
The Defra site explains what you have to do to bring your pet dog,
cat or ferret into (or back into) the UK through the Pet Travel
Scheme without putting it into quarantine.
It also explains the requirements for bringing many other types
of pet animals into the UK. The site also tells you about quarantine
in the UK for animals that don't qualify for PETS. Printable factsheets
are available for both vets and the public.
Visit www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/index.htm |
