Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that qualified guide dogs, assistance dogs, and their disabled owners are not discriminated against when travelling to the EU by the (1) cost, and (2) bureaucracy, of obtaining an animal health certificate.

The UK has been formally ‘listed’ as a ‘Part 2’ third country for the purposes of the EU pet travel regulations, which means that new rules apply to pet movements from Great Britain (GB) to the EU and Northern Ireland (NI). The pet health and documentary requirements for such pet travel are set out under the EU Pet Travel Regulations.

Defra recognises the undue impact that these changes are having on pet owners and assistance dog users. Defra has been clear that there are no animal health or biosecurity justifications for these additional rules to travel to the EU or NI. We will continue to press the EU Commission in relation to securing ‘Part 1’ listed status and recognition of the UK’s tapeworm-free status, recognising that achieving this would alleviate some of the new requirements for pet owners and assistance dog users travelling, including the requirement for an Animal Health Certificate (AHC). We see no valid animal health reason for these to not be granted and we have one of the most rigorous pet-checking regimes in Europe to protect our biosecurity. We have submitted a detailed technical case setting this out and are continuing to engage with the EU on a workable solution.

We are proactively engaging with the assistance dog community and relevant stakeholders on the impacts on dog movements from Great Britain to the EU. We will continue to work closely with assistance dog organisations to share the latest advice and guidance (in accessible formats) with their members on pet travel requirements.

Our advice for pet owners and users of assistance dogs travelling is that they should continue to contact their vet at least one month in advance to ensure their pet has the correct vaccinations and paperwork to travel abroad. The costs of completing and issuing an AHC are commercial decisions, set by individual veterinary practices.