Pet Travel Scheme (Pilot Arrangements) (England) Order 1999
1999 No. 3443
ANIMALS, ENGLANDANIMAL HEALTH
The Pet Travel Scheme (Pilot Arrangements) (England) Order 1999
Made 22th December 1999
Laid before Parliament 22th December 1999
Coming into force 17th January 2000
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Secretary of State for Wales, acting jointly, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 10 of the Animal Health Act 19811, and of all other powers enabling them in that behalf, make the following Order:
Title, commencement, application and extent
1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Pet Travel Scheme (Pilot Arrangements) (England) Order 1999 and shall come into force on 17th January 2000.
(2) This Order shall apply in relation to pet cats and pet dogs.
(3) This Order extends to England only.
Interpretation
2. In this Order—
“airport” means the aggregate of the land, buildings and works comprised in an aerodrome within the meaning of the Civil Aviation Act 19822;
“carrier” means any undertaking carrying goods or passengers for hire by land, sea or air;
“cat” means a domestic cat (Felis catus);
“Directive 92/65/EEC” means Council Directive 92/65/EEClaying down animal health requirements governing trade in and imports into the Community of animals, semen, ova and embryos not subject to animal health requirements laid down in specific Community rules referred to in Council Directive 90/425/EEC3;
“dog” means a domestic dog (Canis familiaris);
“microchip” means an electronic transponder;
“official health certificate” means a certificate prepared and distributed by the competent authority for completion and signature by an official veterinary surgeon in relation to rabies, and by a veterinary surgeon entitled to practise veterinary medicine in the country in which the treatment is administered in the case ofEchinococcus multicularis and ticks;
“official veterinary surgeon” means in England and Wales a veterinary surgeon authorised by the Minister for the purposes of this Order, and outside England and Wales means a veterinary surgeon authorised by the competent authority to grant certification for the purposes of export of dogs and cats;
“pet cats” and “pet dogs” means cats and dogs which are not traded commercially under the provisions of article 4A of the Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and Other Mammals) Order 19744;
“recognised laboratory” means a laboratory recognised in writing by the Minister as being competent to carry out blood tests for the purposes of this Order.
Exemption from quarantine for pet cats and pet dogs
3.—(1) A person may bring a pet cat or pet dog into England on or after 28th February 2000 without complying with the provisions of the Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and Other Mammals) Order 1974 if all the conditions relating to the importation of the animal in this Order are complied with.
(2) Nothing in this Order shall apply in relation to an animal brought into England directly from other parts of the British Islands or the Republic of Ireland.
Means of transport
4.—(1) The animal shall be brought into England using a carrier approved under article 8 below, travelling on a route specified in Schedule 1 to this Order, without leaving the vessel, aircraft or train in which it is travelling between departure and arrival.
(2) In the event of a ship or aircraft on a scheduled service being diverted from a route specified in Schedule 1 to this Order to another place of landing in England, the animal shall be deemed to have been brought into England at the intended place of landing but, in the case of an aircraft, the carrier shall, at its own expense, transport the animal to Heathrow Airport for checking before releasing the animal into the custody of the person importing the animal.
Identification of the animal
5.—(1) The animal shall be identified by means of a microchip implanted into its body.
(2) If the carrier does not have a reader capable of reading the microchip, the person bringing the animal into England shall provide a reader for the microchip at the time the carrier checks the identity of the animal.
Health status of the animal
6.—(1) After it has been microchipped, the animal shall—
(a)
(a) have been vaccinated against rabies in a country or part of a country specified in Schedule 2 to this Order or in the British Islands or the Republic of Ireland after the age of three months by injection of an inactivated vaccine approved by the competent authority of the country in which the vaccination takes place; and
(b)
(b) have had any necessary booster injections in a country or part of a country specified in Schedule 2 to this Order or in the British Islands or the Republic of Ireland at intervals specified by the manufacturer of the vaccine.
(2) After it has been vaccinated against rabies, and at least six months before it is brought into England, a blood sample must have been taken from the animal and tested for rabies antibodies using a virus neutralisation test at a recognised laboratory, with the result of that test demonstrating a protective antibody titre of at least 0.5 international units per millilitre. The six month period shall begin on the date that the sample was taken from the animal.
(3) The requirement in the preceding paragraph for a delay of six months between taking the blood sample for testing and the animal being brought into England shall not apply in the case of an animal which was microchipped, vaccinated and blood sampled before 28th February 2000, and which, at the time the blood sample is taken, either—
(a)
(a) has never left the British Islands or The Republic of Ireland;
(b)
(b) has spent six months in quarantine in either the British Islands or The Republic of Ireland and has not subsequently left those countries; or
(c)
(c) has been brought into the British Islands or The Republic of Ireland under the provisions of Directive 92/65/EECand has not subsequently left those countries.
(4) Not less than 24 hours and not more than 48 hours before embarkation for England the animal must have been treated by a veterinary surgeon entitled to practise veterinary medicine in the country in which the treatment is administered againstEchinococcus multicularis and ticks, using a veterinary medicine with a marketing authorisation in the country in which the medicine is administered and at an appropriate dosage; and in the case of treatment against Echinococcus multicularis the medicine must contain praziquantel as the active ingredient.
(5) The animal must not have been outside the British Islands, the Republic of Ireland or the countries or territories in Part I of Schedule 2 to this Order (or, in the case of dogs assisting persons suffering from sensory impairment, those territories plus the countries in Part II of that Schedule) for the six month period immediately preceding the date it is brought into England.
(6) The Minister shall recognise laboratories under this article to carry out tests under this article if he is satisfied that they are capable of carrying out the test correctly.
(7) The Minister shall publish a list of recognised laboratories in such manner as he thinks fit.
Documentation
7.—(1) The animal shall be accompanied by two official health certificates, one relating to rabies vaccination and one relating to treatment for Echinococcus multicularis and ticks.
(2) The official health certificates—
(a)
(a) shall be signed in relation to rabies by an official veterinary surgeon of a country specified in Schedule 2 to this Order, the British Islands or the Republic of Ireland certifying that the certificate is accurate, and stamped by him with an official stamp indicating that he is an official veterinary surgeon;
(b)
(b) shall be signed in relation toEchinococcus multicularis and ticks by a veterinary surgeon entitled to practise veterinary medicine in the country in which the treatment is administered.
(3) The official health certificate relating to rabies vaccination shall contain the information specified in Schedule 3 to this Order.
(4) The official health certificate relating toEchinococcus multicularis and ticks shall state—
(a)
(a) the date and time of the treatment; and
(b)
(b) the treatment used.
(5) In addition to the official health certificates, any person bringing in an animal in accordance with this Order shall, at the time the animal is brought in, carry a written, signed declaration in English in the form set out in Schedule 4 to this Order that the animal has not been outside the territories set out in that Schedule in the six months preceding the animal being brought into England.
(6) All certificates required under this article shall be in English but may, in addition to the English text, contain a translation in a language of any of the countries listed in Schedule 2.
Carriers
8.—(1) The Minister may approve a carrier under this article to transport pets under the provisions of this Order if he is satisfied that—
(a)
(a) the carrier complies with the requirements in Schedule 5 to this Order;
(b)
(b) the written procedures and contingency plans required in that Schedule are adequate; and
(c)
(c) the carrier will comply with this Order, the written procedures required in Schedule 5 and any conditions of the approval.
(2) The approval shall specify—
(a)
(a) where checks must be carried out;
(b)
(b) the routes to be used by the approved carrier to bring an animal into England; and
(c)
(c) any other conditions the Minister considers appropriate.
(3) The carrier shall provide such information to the Minister as he shall reasonably require.
Duties of approved carriers
9.—(1) Before bringing an animal into England a carrier approved under article 8...
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