Holidays for cats, dogs and ferrets - Euro MP Liz Lynne

4.12.00pm GMT Tue 9th Mar 2010

The pets passport scheme for cats dogs and ferrets has been extended.

New EU rules will allow family pets to take continental holidays for years to come.

Agreement has been reached to extend the Pets' Passport' scheme for cats, dogs and ferrets that have been vaccinated against rabies.

British pets are likely to benefit the most. They make up 60% of all the animals in Europe taking advantage of the arrangements.

Local Liberal Democrat Euro MP Liz Lynne says the pet passport scheme is an idea that the UK gave to the rest of Europe.

Speaking at the Parliament in Strasbourg today, Liz Lynne said:

"The extension of Pets Passports is great news for pet owners. The UK's Pets' Travel scheme is 10 years old and ended the misery of quarantine arrangements for thousands of pets and their owners.

"More than 600,000 animals have crossed our borders since then. These arrangements were copied and extended throughout the EU in 2005 and have proved a great success."

Rabies incidents across Europe have fallen from 2,679 cases in domestic animals in 1990 to just 251 in 2008, with none of the cases attributable to animals with 'passports.'

But some EU countries still maintain restrictions. In Portugal, for example, ferrets are classified as 'vermin' and may be destroyed by the authorities.

Pets' 'passports' are usually embedded microchips that provide proof of rabies vaccination.

ENDS