21st December 2000: Newsletter 25 will be mailed early in the New Year. The QUAFF office will be closed for a few days over the New Year.

Happy Christmas to all our readers.

17th December 2000: MADRID and BRUSSELS have been added to the approved air routes. They are:
By air to London Heathrow from:
Amsterdam (Schiphol) British Midland Airways
Brussels British Midland Airways
Frankfurt Lufthansa
Helsinki Finnair
Madrid British Midland Airways
Palma (Majorca) British Midland Airways
Paris (GUIDE DOGS ONLY) British Midland Airways

14th December 2000 : MADRID and BRUSSELS have very recently been added to BRITISH MIDLANDS licence to carry pets under the scheme. See update on licensed routes here.

10th December 2000: See latest letter to the world's (favourite) airline!!

6th December 2000: In addition to list of potential 6-month homes is Europe on the Member's Page, there is a Dog-Sitting organisation in France at (this)
website.

5th December 2000: List of french vets updated here

24th October 2000 :GERMAN DANGEROUS DOG LAW. Those intending to travel to Germany should be aware of recent legislation threatening 15 breeds of dog.
The breeds involved are American Pitbull, American Staffordshire
Terrier, Staffordshire Bullterrier, American Bulldog, Bullmastiff,
Bullterrier, Dogue de Bordeaux, Dogo Argentinio, Fila Brasiliero, Kangal,
Kaukasian Owtscharka, Mastiff, Mastin Espanol, Mastino Napoletano, Tosa Inu.

However, just to confuse, another list of threatened dogs listed by Dog
Magazine includes:Anatolian Shepherd Dog, Briard, Bullmastiff, BullTerrier, Dobermann,Dogue deBordeaux,Estrela, Komondor, Kuvasz Maremma, Mastiff,Neapolitan Mastiff,Pyrenean MountainDog, Rottweiler,Staffordshire Bull Terrier,Tibetan Mastiff.

For further information see : here

19th October 2000:We remind readers that under the Pet Travel Scheme ONLY ONE pet is allowed on each licensed flight into Heathrow. Members with a gang should read the document AIR TRAVEL on the member's page.

18th October 2000: The EU proposal noted below (7 Oct) has been adopted by the EC and passed to the European Parliament. The EC press release can be seen (here).

18th October 2000: On 13 Sep we wrote to the Chairman of British Airways about their inclusion in the list of approved airlines for the Pet Travel Scheme.
See Press Releases Page regarding The EU Pet Travel Scheme and
British Airways participation in PETS . Now is the time for you to write to BA!! Copy of BA response to QUAFF (here). This is not good news for rabies-free islands.
We will write again to point out the problem and suggest all members
affected do likewise. We are aware that BA is critical to those in Bermuda
and Cayman Islands. Could we hear from anyone for whom there is no
alternative to BA for a direct flight back to UK.Our letter to a few Editors can be see on the Press Releases Page.

7th October 2000: The European Commission intend to introduce from 1 Jan 2002, for the whole of the European Union, a PET TRAVEL SCHEME very similar to that in force for UK. At the moment pets from anywhere in the world can travel at will to European Union countries (except UK, Republic of Ireland and Sweden which have quarantine regulations) on production of a Health Certificate and Rabies Vaccination Certificate. From Jan 2002 it will be necessary to have pet cats and dogs microchipped or tattooed, vaccinated and blood tested. The pet may then enter Europe six months after the date a successful sample was drawn as long as the country of origin is " rabies free or where the disease is regarded as sufficiently under control". Quite how this will be decided and by whom is uncertain. At the moment all animals so treated may enter UK from the EU and certain rabies-free islands only. The impact of this legislation, IF THE UK SIGNS UP TO IT, is that pets from those parts of the world may enter UK and Ireland under this scheme given the above treatment. The proposed legislation may be inspected (here). It is a .pdf file for which you need to download Acrobat.

17th September 2000: Bulletin Board now available for discussions; See Home page.

17th September 2000: AUSTRALIA. After much confusion, a system for despatching blood samples to UK is in place. Your vet must contact Geelong Laboratory 03 52275272, and then send a 'spun' sample to them for forwarding to the UK lab. It must be made VERY clear that the sample is for export to UK.

18th August 2000: The new PETS 5 certificate, which replaces the need for an Export Health Certificate for travel to/through France, is now available from your vet. (details here)

2nd August 2000: RABIES-FREE ISLANDS.GOOD NEWS. The MAFF are announcing today that the following rabies-free islands will be included in the Pet Travel Scheme from the end of January 2001. Those not yet approved are still in the frame and the suggestion is that they have not yet fully responded to the MAFF enquiries. It may be worth residents calling their government veterinary officers!!
Ascension Island, Australia, Barbados, Bermuda, Cyprus, Falkland Islands,
Hawaii, Japan, Malta, Monserrat, New Caledonia, New Zealand, St Helena,
Singapore and Vanuatu.
Members resident there should start preparations now for early entry to UK
iaw Newsletter 23.

31st July 2000: A Laboratory in GREECE has now been approved by MAFF to conduct blood tests.
British Midlands have been licensed to carry cats and dogs on the route
Palma, Majorca to Heathrow. For details see MAFF website - What's New page
www.maff.gov.uk

11th July 2000: DEMISE OF EXPORT HEALTH CERTIFICATE. Members intending to travel from UK to France from end July should read the GOOD NEWS on the member's page.

11th July 2000: BRITISH MIDLANDS pet carriage charge. See the CEO's response to our letter challenging the high cost of passage from Amsterdam.

11th July 2000: PROCEDURE FOR AIR TRAVEL WITH PETS. See note on Member's Page.

3rd July 2000 :See (here) the response from MAFF regarding RABIES-FREE ISLANDS, NORTH AMERICA and AIRLINES.

26th June 2000 : Newsletter 23 now available on Members page

25th June 2000: NORTH AMERICA PETITION. Would any NA visitors to this page please download and action this petition.

10th June 2000: EXPORT HEALTH CERTIFICATE - ON THE WAY OUT!! We have received a response to our letter (see below 21 May) concerning the EHC (here). It seems the end of these troublesome certificates is in sight. Watch this space.

7th June 2000: The MAFF have now enacted legislation that will permit entry to UK under PET Scheme of pets that have been treated in accordance with the French protocol (tattoo first, then vaccination, then blood test then chip). French vets now have a slightly different certificate to reflect this order of treatment.

5th June 2000: Although there is not yet an announcement on their website, we are told by MAFF that the legislation is now in place to permit entry of cats and dogs prepared under the French system of tattoo, then vaccination, then blood test then microchip.

1st June 2000 : CHANNEL ISLANDS. You can now take qualified pets directly to Jersey from the EU now via EMERAUDE Lines. See Jersey MAFF site (here)

24th May 2000 : RIP-OFF BRITAIN? We are astonished to discover that the cost of transporting a cat from Amsterdam to Heathrow by British Midlands is around £240 (834 Guilders)(including purchase of airline approved carrier case). We think this is preposterous and have written to the CEO. We would encourage others to do likewise. It costs £30 by Eurotunnel and P&O.
CEO, Austin Reid Esq., BM, Donington Hall, Castle Donington, Derby DE74 2SB
LUFTHANSA are charging DM280 plus DM90 for a cat case. Total approx £125 !!! Book on 0049 696969 3030

21st May 2000: EXPORT HEALTH CERTIFICATE - Letter to MAFF (here)

17th May 2000: PETS ENTERING FRANCE. The rules are clearly laid out on the French Embassy website (here) and the following is part of the text:
a.. If the animals have received an anti-rabies injection, their owners should travel with them with certificates issued by a licensed veterinarian showing that:

* the animal identified by the certificate has received a valid anti-rabies injection
* the identified animal (by a tatoo or a microchip) does not show any signs of disease, above all any signs of a contagious disease of the specy (this certificate should be issued between 1 and 5 days before the entry of the animal into France).

17th May 2000: Readers may be interested to hear that pet owners in DUBAI, UAE are raising a petition to send the PM demanding inclusion in the Pet Travel Scheme.

3rd May 2000 : Lufthansa now authorised to transport pets from Frankfurt to Heathrow.

30th April 2000: List of vets in France updated and now includes some from Italy,Portugal and Belgium :  here.

30th April 2000: It appears that the failure rate of entry at the port of embarkation is running at 25%, the vast majority because people are providing vet's 'chits' for tick and worm treatment. It is imperative that pet owners obtain an 'official' government produced certificate which in nearly all EU countries, looks very similar to the 'PETS Certificate'.

25th April 2000: For information on the regular use of Praziquantel (required treatment against worm) see letter here.

2nd April 2000 : A list of possible kennels and pet hosts in Europe, recommended by members, is available on the Member's page. It will be updated periodically as we receive more information.

31st March 2000: New page for Member's Letters added. See home page contents list.

29th March 2000 : List of helpful vets in France and other countries available here.

29th March 2000 : FAQs have been updated.

29th March 2000: GETTING READY IN RABIES FREE ISLANDS AND NORTH AMERICA
See letter on Members Page.

27th March 2000: Newsletter 22 now available on Members Page 

27th March 2000: LETTER FROM AMERICA. We encourage allcomers to write to MAFF to put pressure on them to include North America (Canada and USA) in the PET Travel Scheme as soon as possible. A good example is here.

2nd March 2000 :URGENT NOTE FOR MEMBERS RAISING PET TRAVEL CERTIFICATES IN FRANCE :  see Member's Page Misc section

24th February 2000 : French Certificates downloaded from the French Ministry of Agriculture website are available in .pdf format here : Pet Health  Tick/Worm We nevertheless still understand that to obtain the main Pet Certificate your vet has to confirm to SNVEL that your pet has been tattooed (see note below). The Tick and Worm certificate can be downloaded and given to your vet to complete.
BUT watch this space for developments.
Tattoo is NOT required for pets visiting France and returning back home to UK.

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat,download it here :

22nd February 2000 :     FRENCH CERTIFICATES

Ladies and Gentlemen,
We have just heard that the French certificates (Pet Health certificate and Tick/Worm Certificate) have been passed to SNVEL (The French Veterinary Union) for distribution to vets. Two French vets have today rung SNVEL to obtain them and been told that they will not be issued until 28 Feb and then by post. This clearly poses a problem to those wishing to travel within a few days of, or on 28 Feb. Worse still, we have been told by another very reliable source that these certificates will not be issued unless the pet has also been tattooed!!
Our only suggestion is that you get your vet to contact SNVEL to confirm this and discuss the Tattoo problem. We have one member who is having his pet 'very lightly' tattooed as I write, and this does not require a general anaesthetic.
For those determined to get home early, the only possibility is to travel to Belgium or Netherlands and get the certificates there. The NL has them available. The Belgian vets expect to receive them on Thursday 24 or Friday 25, but in both cases you have to take the Health Certificate from the vet to the nearest regional Vet office. For an Ostende vet this is in Bruges. In NL there are a number of such authorities (called RVV).
Those in a hurry welcome to call us.

18th February 2000:CERTIFICATES - France, Belgium and Spain
The Required certificates have now been approved by MAFF and are in the hands of national ministries for printing and distribution. We suggest that you chase your vets to contact their regional authority to obtain copies as soon as possible.

15th February 2000 : The French Certificates have NOT YET been agreed. MAFF are meeting with their counterparts today to try and resolve. The French are still hoping to have them available by Feb 28 but watch this space!

15th February 2000 :EARLY RELEASE FROM QUARANTINE. If you pet is in Quarantine but qualifies for the PET TRAVEL SCHEME (chipped/vaccinated and bloodsampled six months ago, you should ask you kennel's Veterinary Superintendent to raise papers for early release after Feb 28.

12th February 2000 : AVAILABILITY OF HEALTH CERTIFICATES IN EU
We have talked (or tried) to most EU authorities and believe the situation to be as follows. Anyone with better information is requested to call us (01243-264173)
Netherlands/Germany/Denmark: - certificates in place.
Italy: First certificate in place with Regional vet authority. Tick/Worm being worked on. Should be in place in time.
France: Still no definitive news. Hope to have early next week.
Spain/Portugal: Not yet despatched but hope to have in place in near future.
Luxembourg: No yet in place but should be in time.
Greece: Note in Newsletter 18 incorrect. Working hard on it and hope to be ready.
Switzerland: Optimistic for publication mid Feb.
Norway: No recent news but expecting to make deadline.
Belgium: No recent news but had no doubt they would be ready.
WE SUGGEST YOU CONTACT YOUR VET OR HIS THE REGIONAL VETERINARY AUTHORITY IF CONCERNED.

8th February 2000:Certification for Travellers to France. See Letter from French Embassy here.

5th February 2000 : URGENT Certificates Required for Travel to France.

Although we have never known such certificates being demanded on arrival in France, you should be aware that there is a requirement to have an Export Certificate for pets when travelling into/through France. These are obtained by ringing you area AHDO (Animal Health Divisional Office). They send you an application form which you return. The certificate is then sent to your vet whom you need to visit for a health check. !!!!!

1st February 2000 : Newsletter 21 now available on Members page

We have also noted the front page story in The Times of Jan 24th concerning additional documentation and are attempting to get further details.

22nd January 2000 : Eurotunnel will accept bookings for pets from 1 February.

16th January 2000 : In addition to the 2 EU Vet certificates required for the Pilot Pets Travel Scheme (1 for vaccination, bloodtest result and healthy animal - 2 for treatment for ticks and worms) owners will be asked to sign a Declaration (here) on arrival at the checking point.

12th January 2000 :                   Eurotunnel: update

Eurotunnel have confirmed that they will begin accepting pets for travel to the UK in the morning of 28 February.

As the Minister’s decision about the start of the scheme was only announced just before Christmas, and because of the need to change booking systems to meet the information needs of MAFF, it is not yet possible to make a firm booking with Eurotunnel for pets travel. Pet owners are asked to defer attempting to make bookings until mid-February.

Information about the pet travel scheme is given on the Eurotunnel web site (www.eurotunnel.com). (Click on "English" then "Passenger Services" and "What’s new?").

Eurotunnel will be making a supplementary charge for a pet to travel through this system: this is over and above the cost per car. The charge is likely to be around £30.

6th January 2000 :                   Eurotunnel

Bookings on Eurotunnel will be possible on-line at www.eurotunnel.co.uk or by phone.
Booking Telephone numbers:
>From UK 0990 353535
>From France 0321 006100
>From Belgium 02717 4500
>From Netherlands 0202 504 0540
>From Germany 0180 5000 248
>From other countries you need to access one of the above numbers by dialling the country code (and usually dropping the first 0)

6th January 2000 :              Health Certificates.

Members will be aware that the "Pet's Passport" consists of three Certificates:
1. Health Certificate 1 - stating that the EU vet has seen proof of chipping, vaccination and a satisfactory blood test (sent to approved lab after May 28 1999.
2. Health Certificate 2 - stating that vet has carried out treatment for ticks and worms at ...(date/time)
3. Owners declaration that pet has resided within the EU for last 6 months (since above treatment)

You should be aware that MAFF are expecting each EU nation to produce 1. and 2. We are aware that none has yet been produced and that vets appear unaware of when they will be produced. We all need to keep an eye on this and QUAFF would be grateful for any relevant information you may obtain.