Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will consider reintroducing the requirement for rabies titration tests and post-rabies antibody titration test wait periods at the border.

Defra takes the threat to public and animal health posed by animals entering the United Kingdom seriously and requires appropriate rabies vaccination for pet animals entering the country. Travel between EU Member States and from some lower risk countries requires a rabies vaccination followed by a 21 day waiting period. For countries with higher rabies risk stricter rules apply involving a rabies titration test and waiting period. A quantitative risk assessment was carried out by rabies experts in 2011. They judged the risk of a pet animal with rabies entering the UK under the EU pet travel rules as very low.

Defra has no plans to amend the rabies controls for pet animals entering the United Kingdom but continues to monitor the disease situation and will undertake a further, formal risk assessment if the evidence indicates that one is warranted.