The poster, intended for veterinary practice waiting rooms, went out free with The Veterinary Record (issue dated 26 September) to coincide with the BVA Congress session ‘Pets and politics’.

The ‘Pets and politics’ session, chaired by Harvey Locke, President-Elect of the BVA, discussed the future of pet travel in Europe from both European and public health perspectives.

The speakers were Dr Hélène Klein, Veterinary Administrator at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Health and Consumer Affairs (DG SANCO) and Dr Dilys Morgan from the Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections.

The poster has been launched in association with the BVA AWF and the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA). It reminds pet owners to ask their vets about preventive treatments and advertises our free BVA AWF leaflet Taking your pets abroad which sets out information on the more common diseases encountered abroad and how to prevent or avoid them.

The BVA has also welcomed the publication of the FVE (Federation of Veterinarians of Europe) opinion paper on the amendments to Regulation (EC) No 998/2003 on pet travel which will allow a further 18 months for those Member States in which rabies still occurs to make adequate efforts to complete the eradication of rabies within the EU. The additional time will also allow risk assessments to be carried out in preparation for harmonisation.

Launching the poster campaign, BVA President, Prof Bill Reilly said:

“The main message of this campaign is that prevention is better than cure and it is never too soon to start planning the precautions needed. Taking animals abroad involves a lot of organising and pet owners should start talking to their vets as soon as possible to make sure they get the right advice to protect the health of their pets. For holidays next spring some vaccinations may need to be administered now.

“Politicians in Europe are currently debating changes to the pet travel rules but whether the rules change or not it is vital that pet owners understand the risks involved with taking their pets out of the UK and get the best possible advice to avoid diseases.”

Carl Padgett, BVA AWF Chairman of Trustees, said:

“Part of the BVA AWF’s mission is to improve the welfare of animals though education. Highlighting our Taking your pets abroad leaflet to pet owners is a fantastic way for vets to help protect animals from exotic diseases.

“I would encourage all small animal and mixed practices to display this poster and stock copies of the BVA AWF leaflet.

“The leaflet is available to download from the BVA AWF website and multiple copies can be ordered via bva-awf@bva.co.uk.”

Richard Dixon, President of BSAVA, added:

“Most pet owners are responsible when it comes to taking their animals abroad but anything we can do to encourage more people to find out about protection and prevention is a very positive step forward.”

Notes for editors

1. A low resolution pdf of the poster is attached. Please contact the BVA media office for a high resolution version.

2. The poster was distributed to veterinary surgeons free via The Veterinary Record issue dated 26 September 2009. The BVA AWF leaflet Taking your pets abroad is available to download and free hard copies are available from bva-awf@bva.co.uk (there is a charge for postage).

3. For more information on the BVA Congress session Pets and politics, including a summary of Dr Hélène Klein's main points, please visit http://www.bva.co.uk/public/documents/Summaries_of_Contentious_Issues_sessions_at_BVA_Congress_2009.pdf. All Congress related news releases will be available at http://www.bva.co.uk/newsroom/1592.aspx.

4. The BVA supports EU Veterinary Week (28 Sept – 4 Oct) and World Rabies Day (28 September). To mark these events the BVA’s Overseas Group has issued guidance for veterinary surgeons on preventing and treating rabies.

5. For more information please contact the BVA congress media office on 075 0319 0247. Alternatively, the HQ media office is also manned on 020 7908 6340 or email media@bva.co.uk.