BVA warning over 'pent-up demand' for travel
UK pet owners must obtain an Animal Health Certificate from a trained vet no more than 10 days before they plan to travel to the EU.
Pet owners are being encouraged by the BVA to contact their vet as early as possible if they are planning to travel abroad to get all the necessary paperwork in order.
The warning comes amid concerns over pent-up demand for travel when the veterinary profession is already struggling with a reduced workforce and increased demand for other services.
Post-Brexit pet travel rules state that UK pet owners must obtain an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) from a trained vet no more than 10 days before they plan to travel to the European Union. In contrast with the simpler pet passport, an AHC can be up to 12 pages long, making it much more complex, time-consuming and costly to produce.
According to the BVA, a pet travel consultation in practice is currently taking an average of 45 minutes to an hour to complete - and where there are multiple pets, it is taking even longer.
The EU sets the rules on pet travel paperwork and cannot be changed by the UK Government. However, BVA is calling on ministers to help vets to complete the AHCs, for example, by issuing a simplified checklist to quicken up the process and mitigate any common errors.
BVA understands from some of its members that some pet owners are leaving it too late to book an appointment and is urging pet owners to plan for overseas trips by:
- contacting a vet practice as early as possible to book an appointment
- checking the Government website to get all of the information and paperwork they will need for a pet travel appointment.
“The veterinary profession is very concerned about the pent-up demand for overseas travel with pets at a time when the workforce is stretched, and there are capacity shortfalls in small animal practice,” commented BVA senior vice president Daniella Dos Santos.
“The new post-Brexit travel certificates and requirements are a significant change from the older pet passport system, and so they will take longer to complete and cost more. BVA has lobbied the government to simplify the paperwork, but the rules are set by the EU so there’s very little we can do to make the process less cumbersome.”
She added that workload pressure and increased routine appointments have meant some practices have decided to stop offering pet travel certification appointments to prioritise animal health and welfare cases.
“With lockdown restrictions easing and more people planning trips abroad in the months to come, it’s crucial that the system can operate as smoothly and stress-free as possible both for the veterinary profession and pet owners,” she said.
“That is why we are advising that you contact your vet as early as you can ahead of travel to the EU to make sure there’s time to complete the necessary health checks and paperwork.”
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
