Your data on MRCVSonline
The nature of the services provided by Vision Media means that we might obtain certain information about you.
Please read our Data Protection and Privacy Policy for details.

In addition, (with your consent) some parts of our website may store a 'cookie' in your browser for the purposes of
functionality or performance monitoring.
Click here to manage your settings.
EmailIphone Application    Posted: 6th June 2019
If you would like to forward this story on to a friend, simply fill in the form below and click send.
Your friend's email:
Your email:
Your name:
 
 
Send Cancel

Government urged to review pet travel legislation
Imports of dogs to Britain reached 307,357 dogs in 2018, compared to 287,016 the previous year.
Dog imports to Britain reached 307,357 in 2018

The Government has been urged to review pet travel legislation after figures revealed that dog imports breached the 300,000 mark for the first time in 2018.

Rehoming charity Dogs Trust said that a lack of visual checks at borders and insufficient penalties means there is "no real deterrent" for people wanting to smuggle in breeds such as dachshunds, French bulldogs and English bulldogs.

On Wednesday (5 June), figures revealed by Defra showed that imports of dogs to Britain reached 307,357 dogs in 2018, compared to 287,016 the previous year. It is the sixth year in a row that the figures have increased since the introduction of the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS).

While some of these imports will have been dogs entering the UK on British passports, investigations by Dogs Trust have revealed that PETS is repeatedly being used as a cover to illegally import puppies from Central and Eastern Europe.

“Great Britain remains a target for dealers because of the vast sums people are willing to pay for such breeds and the lack of supply within Great Britain itself from reputable breeders,” said Dogs trust veterinary director Paula Boyden.

“The four undercover investigations that Dogs Trust has carried out into the abuses of the Pet Travel Scheme have provided Government with a mountain of evidence. We now urge the Government to take forward our clear recommendations to overhaul our pet travel legislation and increase the penalties for those caught fuelling this despicable trade.”

Among the recommendations set out by Dogs Trust is a call to reintroduce the requirement for a rabies blood (titre) test before entry to the UK, together with a waiting period in line with the incubation period of rabies.

The organisation would also like to see the reintroduction of the requirement for dogs and cats to be treated against ticks before entering the UK.

Become a member or log in to add this story to your CPD history

RCVS Knowledge appoints Veterinary Evidence editor-in-chief

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has welcomed Professor Peter Cockcroft as editor-in-chief for Veterinary Evidence.

A world-renowned expert in evidence-based veterinary medicine, Prof Cockcroft will lead the strategic development and editorial quality of the open-access journal. He was previously in the role from 2017-2020.

Katie Mantell, CEO of RCVS Knowledge, said: "We are excited about the extensive knowledge of evidence-based veterinary medicine and clinical veterinary research that Peter brings, and we look forward to working with him over this next phase of the journal's development." 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
CVS Group hit by cyber attack

CVS Group, which owns more than 450 veterinary practices in the UK, has been hit by a cyber attack.

In a statement, the group said the incident involved unauthorised external access to a limited number of its IT systems. As soon as the attack was discovered, the group took its IT systems temporarily offline, causing 'considerable operational disruption'.

It has warned that the security steps taken and ongoing plans to move its operational systems and IT infrastructure to the Cloud are likely to have an ongoing impact over a number of weeks.

Due to the risk that personal information was accessed, CVS has informed the Information Commissioner's Office. The company is working with third party consultants to investigate the incident.