Animals Win Right to Eu Passports

Alpine forests and Mediterranean beaches beckon for cats, dogs - and ferrets - from Bognor to Barcelona under new European rules to harmonise passports for pets.

A decision adopted yesterday by the European commission means a standard EU passport must in future be issued to pets travelling outside their home country.

The documents, to become effective from July, provide proof that the bearer has been vaccinated against rabies and other diseases. They will carry a unique number corresponding to a microchip or tattoo on the animal and will replace national passports and other paperwork.

The pet passport will be the sole requirement for domestic animals travelling to all EU member states except Ireland, Sweden and Britain, which require additional tests for ticks and tapeworm. It will also apply to the 10 countries joining in May, extending pan-European pet travel as far afield as Cyprus and Estonia.

Ferrets became eligible for EU-wide travel earlier this year after intense lobbying from the Britons who keep two million of them.