Animal Health Certificates

Ever since we got a dog we've taken it with us on holiday every year. Unfortunately Boris Johnson's approach to Brexit specifically tore up things like Pet Passports and so Animal Health Certificates (AHC) were brought in. This basically means you have to go to a vet some days before you travel to get a certificate to show it is healthy and vaccinated, a 15-20 minute job.

Unfortunately my local vet, like many others i suspect, seized this opportunity for profiteering. The charged £160 for this in 2021 and have increased the charge between 11% and 20% every year since ! The form hasn't changed, the amount of time to fill it in hasn't changed, the dog hasn't changed. 

For reference the national rate of interest in the same time has not increase beyond 5%, mostly it has been below that. 

I suppose these vets are exploiting our Trust and preference for convenience. Well next year, finally, i'll be less lazy and find an alternative supplier. In the mean time i'll make a complaint, i doubt it will do much good but i find it frustrating when other people complain like this without taking action. 

Anyway another 'Benefit of Brexit', thanks Nigel and Boris !.  

 

Travelling to the EU with a pet post Brexit (RIP pet passports)

 I've just come back from a 3 week holiday in Spain where i drive through France both outwards and on the return. This is the first time i took a pet with me and since i have never had a 'pet passport' (PP) before i had to go through the new route of a 'Animal Health Certificate' (AHC), another negative consequence of Brexit of course. Where once you would of got a PP and used that to show all relevant checks and vaccinations had been given for any trip; you now need to get a AHC created by your vet for every single trip. i.e. If i wanted to go to Europe again next week i would need a brand new AHC at ~£135 every time.

Anyway in travelling through France and especially during Covid i made sure we had everything we needed, trickey enough when some of the travel rules where changing near daily. For the UK vet this was the first time she had filled out such a form.

In calling Eurotunnel though a couple of days before return to change a minor item on the booking the emmployee briefly mentioned to make sure we had a tapeworm certificate for the return. After a bit of research it turned out this was something i needed to do whilst on holiday. We found a vet an hour away and managed to get a certificate and treatment from them before the Siesta time. The Spanush vet had also not had to deal with an AHC before and wanted to update our non-existant PP, she issued a certificate in the form of a Spanish AHC.

However on getting to EuroTunnel they rejected this on the basis that it wasn't written on the AHC form and that the Spanish AHC couldn't be accetped. They diverted me to a nearby vet who simply wrote in the confirmation details from the Spanish form onto the UK form and prompted charged me €50 for the privaledge. Its not their fault.

None of this would have been necessary if not for the lies told before, during and after Brexit. This is a minor example of the damage being done to the UK but its a personal example and a warning for anyone taking a pet abroad.