OBLIGATIONS AND LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF RESCUES AND REHOMING ORGANISATIONS
Bringing dogs in from EU countries
A common set of rules governs the commercial movement of live animals within the EU. For these purposes the EU includes Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland; but does not include Great Britain. It is important to note that any rescue/rehoming organisation rehoming a dog either from NI to the RoI or from the RoI to NI must follow these rules:
1. Dogs must come from establishments which are registered with and – if the establishment is a shelter – approved by the competent authorities of their state of origin. There cannot have been a rabies infection or an unusual animal death without an identified cause in the establishment within 30 days preceding the dog’s departure.
2. The dog must be microchipped.
3. The dog must be vaccinated against rabies. The vaccine must have been given :
· at least 21 days before departure;
· after the dog was 12 weeks old &
· The protocol must have been completed at least 21 days before departure.
4. If the dog is coming into Northern Ireland they need to be treated for tapeworms (Echinococcus multilocularis).
5. The dog must have been inspected by a vet no earlier than 48 hours before departure and the vet must confirm that the dog is free of disease.
6. The dog must have a valid Pet Passport which you can obtain from your vet.
7. Finally, the dog must be accompanied to the destination by an EU Health Certificate which specifies the registration details of the establishment of origin in point 1, certifies that the inspection referred to in point 5 was carried out and formally notifies the authorities in the destination State of the movement of the dog.
Failure to comply with any of these requirements will likely result in the animal being seized, and either returned to their home state or euthanised. Deliberately trying to avoid complying with these rules could result in fines or criminal prosecutions, potentially in Northern Ireland or in the country of origin.
Law: Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health
Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 June 2013 on the non-commercial movement of pet animals and repealing Regulation
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/878 of 18 June 2018 adopting the list of Member States, or parts of the territory of Member States, that comply with the rules for categorisation laid down in Article 2(2) and (3) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/772 concerning the application of preventive health measures for the control of Echinococcus multilocularis infection in dogs (As amended)