In recent years, the number of pets – dogs and cats – imported from third countries into the European Union has increased, which has caused concern in the Food and Veterinary Service (PVD). During inspections of the imported animals and their documents, various inconsistencies were revealed. That is why PVD Director General Māris Balodis today called on the European Commission to set restrictions on the commercial import of dogs and cats from third countries.
Compared to 2020, the number of pets imported into the European Union has almost doubled in the first ten months of this year. PVD has already started increased control of commercial shipments of dogs and cats at the external border of the European Union, including taking blood samples from the animals to test for antibodies against the rabies vaccine virus. Iveta Zemniece, Deputy Director of the Border Control Department of the PVD: “Since we are on the external border of the European Union and Latvia has this border with Russia and Belarus, we have recognized border control points for the control of live animals, bringing them into the European Union, right on the border of Russia and Belarus.”
Often the destinations of animals coming from neighboring countries are non-existent addresses in Germany, Italy and other countries of the European Union. During the inspections, it was concluded that the information about the animals specified in the certificates of the animals imported from Russia and Belarus was false in several cases, as well as when conducting border controls, it was revealed that a large part of the animals might not be safe for import into the European Union at all. Zemniece: “As part of the risk assessment, we have taken 20 laboratory samples to make sure whether the guarantees in the veterinary certificates provided by Russia and Belarus correspond to the real situation. We have established that the antibody titer against rabies in six of the 14 laboratory analyzes received is not sufficient. This means that these animals are probably not safe for the public, for animal health.”
More than 400 commercial consignments of pets, which is more than a thousand dogs and cats per month, are imported through Latvian border control points from Russia and Belarus to various destinations in the European Union. Among them, Latvia has been the destination of 340 pets imported from Russia and Belarus in the nine months of this year, or about 38 pets per month.
Photo: Freepik; illustrative
2023-11-08 15:18:50
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