By Chris Williamson-
All commercial imports of dogs, cats and ferrets from Ukraine, Belarus, Poland and Romania have been temporarily suspended from coming into the Uk.
The suspension of pets from the above countries is to limit the number of extra pets coming into the Uk at a time when a larger than usual number are being brought in .Monitoring the health and well being of pets coming into the Uk is of vital importance.
The Department Of Environment has expedited an emergency license process to facilitate the inclusion of pets into the Uk, in order not to separate the emotional attachment between pets and their owners in Ukraine. Times of war present a very different emotional feeling between owners and their pets, and pets normally imported from Ukraine, do not come with the extra potential numbers that will accompany the influx of Ukranian refugees to the Uk.
As Britain opens its doors to multiple refugees from Ukraine, the government is also catering from the welfare of their pets, at the same time limiting the extra numbers that would normally come in for commercial purposes.
Over half of the more than 2.5 million Ukrainian refugees who have fled their country have brought pets with them, according to the pet travel specialists PBS Pet Travel. The Uk government is speeding up the process of paying for refugees’ pets to the UK and paying for vaccination, quarantining and microchipping for them, the pets could still spend up to four months in quarantine facilities.
Ukrainians are struggling to obtain the blood tests they need for pets who have had anti-rabies jabs, in order to prove that they have developed rabies antibodies, since laboratories are either closed or not processing animal blood tests.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency is providing quick licence approvals and quarantine arrangements to avoid creating additional burdens or delays. The Government will also be covering their vaccination, microchipping and quarantine costs, recognizing that many individuals from Ukraine will not have been able to complete the full health preparations required for their pet on arrival.
The British Government has announced that it is covering the costs of any necessary stays in quarantine for the pets of those fleeing Ukraine.
The Government has put in place new emergency support for those fleeing Ukraine to the Uk with their pets. Using an emergency licence, people fleeing Ukraine can bring their pets to the UK with any quarantine costs met by the Government.
The maximum stay in quarantine for a pet which has received no rabies vaccination is four months. Pets will be considered on a case by case basis, with a shortened quarantine period for those that are vaccinated.
The Government is also introducing a new rabies blood test that will be able to detect existing rabies vaccinations. This will help in instances where refugees have travelled without vaccination paperwork.
Results can be turnaround in a minimum of 2 days with some animals then moving to isolation if they are found to have rabies antibodies. This will help maintain our strict biosecurity measures and allow people to be reunited more quickly with their pets when possible.
We are working with vets and quarantine facilities to make sure that the arrival of Ukrainians in the UK is not delayed by the process to make arrangements for their pets.
Animal Welfare Minister Lord Goldsmith(pictured) said:
”People having to flee Ukraine are in an appalling situation. I’m pleased that Ukrainian refugees will be able to bring their pets to the UK with any quarantine costs paid for by the Government.
As part of our new streamlined process, any animals which have already received some treatment may also have their stay in quarantine facilities reduced and be returned back to their owner as soon as possible
Before arrival, people leaving the Ukraine or their carrier should contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency at pettravel@apha.gov.uk or call +44 3000 200 301 option 2. They will then be able to confirm their approval for their emergency licence and organise any necessary stay in quarantine which is required to complete the rabies risk management process.
There is a limited amount of quarantine facilities in the UK and we will prioritise those fleeing Ukraine who wish to bring their pets with them.
The Chief Veterinary Officer recently urged rehoming charities to check online guidance and ensure rescue animals have the necessary vaccination paperwork after recent follow-up border checks by the APHA showed a shipment of 19 animals imported by a rescue charity travelled illegally on falsified rabies documentation.
The Department Of Environment working in conjunction with the Animal and Health Agency expressed concerns around the commercial movement of animals, between or from Ukraine and neighbouring countries and the health risk that presents.
The movement of large numbers of rescue animals who are entering Great Britain from high-risk rabies countries, without the correct health preparations, is said to present serious risks to biosecurity and public health. There has also been a number of serious instances of non-compliant imports, including those under falsified paperwork.