Call for action on vet checks

Date: 14/09/00

By Renée Cordes

ANIMAL rights campaigners are urging the European Commission to clamp down on member states which fail to carry out mandatory veterinary checks on domestic pets imported for sale in the Union.

The call comes in the wake of a report by the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals in cooperation with the Eurogroup for Animal Welfare. It reveals that some animals are entering the bloc without the proper medical examinations required under EU law, creating a risk that highly-contagious diseases such as rabies or avian influenza could be introduced into the Union.

Under the rules, member states are obliged to conduct checks on live animals from non-EU countries intended for sale. But national requirements vary from country to country and checks are often not carried out at all, even when health certificates are missing. "There are worrying differences between the ways in which member states apply the EU directives," said David Wilkins, head of the Eurogroup for Animal Welfare. The groups are calling on the Commission to conduct a thorough analysis of the risk that diseases could be spread across the Union, and monitor veterinary controls at EU borders more effectively.

Animal rights campaigners are urging the European Commission to clamp down on Member States which fail to carry out mandatory veterinary checks on domestic pets imported for sale in the Union.