08 January 2001

PETS Extended to 28 Islands

The Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) which allows dogs and cats meeting certain conditions to enter the UK without quarantine will be extended to include 28 rabies free islands around the world on the 31 January. A further thirteen islands have been added to the fifteen which were announced last August. Other islands may well be added to this list after the scheme is extended on the 31 January. The full list is: Antigua and Barbuda, Ascension Island, Australia, Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Falkland Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guadeloupe, Hawaii, Jamaica, Japan, La Réunion, Malta, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Montserrat, New Caledonia, New Zealand, St Helena, St Kitts & Nevis, St Vincent, Singapore, Vanuatu, Wallis and Fortuna. In addition, to widen opportunities for people to use the scheme, MAFF has approached all transport companies running scheduled passenger services into England to invite them to apply to join, or to provide additional routes as the scheme develops. The airlines that have expressed an interest in participating in the Pet Travel Scheme from rabies free islands are Air Malta, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, British Airways, Cyprus Airways, Japan Airlines and Qantas. Baroness Hayman, Minister of State at MAFF, said: "The Government had made a commitment to extend the scheme to qualifying rabies-free islands by April this year and I am delighted that we are doing this ahead of schedule. We are also announcing the names of almost thirty islands that will be included in the Scheme from the end of the month. We are now working closely with a number of airlines which have expressed an interest in operating the scheme from rabies free islands and hope that they will be able to do so from February onwards." To qualify for travel under the scheme there are several steps the pet owner needs to take. The pet should first be microchipped, then vaccinated against rabies, blood tested by a MAFF recognised laboratory and issued with a PETS certificate. The PETS certificate will be valid from six months after the blood test sample was taken until the date the pet's rabies booster vaccination is due. In addition, the owner needs to sign a declaration that their pet has not been outside any of the qualifying countries for the previous six months. Dogs and cats entering the UK on flights from rabies free islands must travel as cargo in a container bearing an official seal. The application of a seal gives an assurance that the animal has not been exposed to infection during the course of the journey. The sealing requirement does not apply to animals coming from Malta or Cyprus. If no direct routes are operating under the Scheme animals from rabies free islands will be able to travel via the European air routes to England or if travelling direct be licensed into quarantine for early release. Animals from Cyprus and Malta may enter England on the existing sea or rail routes from Europe. The 22 countries currently taking part in the scheme are: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the Vatican. The carriers are currently operating air routes are British Midland Airways, Lufthansa and Finnair the Pet Travel Scheme: The other carriers operating the Pet Travel Scheme are: Brittany Ferries, Eurotunnel Shuttle service Hoverspeed, P&O Portsmouth, P&O Stena, Seafrance. More information on the Pet Travel Scheme is available on the MAFF Website. Or contact the PETS helpline on phone: 0870 241 1710, fax: 020 7904 6834 for fact sheets and information. Or email pets@ahvg.maff.gsi.gov.uk.