Quarantine Laws to change on Jan 1
Existing UK Quarantine Laws first established in 1897 are to be harmonised with European Legislation on 1st January 2012. The law currently states that all dogs, cats and ferrets entering the UK must be vaccinated against rabies and other diseases before being quarantined for a period of six months in an HM Customs and Excise pound.
However, improvements in rabies vaccinations and a reduction in the threat since 1897 have led to a liberalisation of the law. As of January 1st, pets from EU countries and listed non-EU countries such as Australia and the USA will only have to be quarantined for 21 days. Regulations concerning ticks and tapeworms will also be relaxed. The Republic of Ireland, Sweden and Malta are harmonising their own legislation with EU law in a similar manner.
Commenting on the change in the law, Meg Purnell-Carpenter of Overhill Kennels said "It's time we changed these outdated rules which have caused hardship to generations of pets and pet owners, and those who rely on assistance dogs, with too many animals cooped up unnecessarily.”
“The EU's pet movement scheme has been working very well for nearly a decade, and it makes sense for us to have similar rules. It means the UK will remain protected from rabies and other exotic diseases while making it easier and cheaper for people to take their pets abroad."
Defra have reassured the public that the risk of rabies in the UK remains “extremely low”. The last indigenous case of rabies in an animal in the UK was in 1922. It is calculated that the new rules would lead to only one case of rabies in a UK pet every 211 years. The frequency of cases in which a human fatality results from rabies contracted from a UK pet is projected to be one case every 21,000 years.
The BSAVA has opened submissions for the BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026.
