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PETER
VIGGERS, MP for the Gosport constituency, this week gave his
support to an extension of the successful Pet Travel Scheme
(PETS) to include the USA and Canada.
PETS
was introduced for dogs and cats travelling from certain European
countries on 28 February 2000. The Scheme was then extended
to Cyprus, Malta and certain Long Haul countries and territories
on 31 January 2001, and Bahrain joined in May 2002.
75,000
pets have already travelled in and out of the UK under the
scheme, which involves the pet being registered and vaccinated
against disease, including rabies. The pets are also fitted
with a microchip containing their details and the owners are
issued with an official certificate proving that the necessary
treatment has been carried out.
Peter
said, "I would like to pay tribute to Lady Fretwell,
who formed the pressure group Passports for Pets eight years
ago, after one of her own dogs died shortly after leaving
a six-month quarantine. She and many others, including myself
campaigned to overturn out of date quarantine regulations,
in favour of a modern 'passport' system, and I am pleased
to see the scheme being extended to other countries, enabling
people to travel between countries more freely with their
pets".
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