Provision of Authorised Pet Quarantine Facilities to Scotland

The policy to prevent the introduction of rabies into the UK is implemented through several controls on the import of rabies-susceptible mammals considered to be at risk of transmitting the disease to the domestic population. One of these measures refers to the placement in authorised quarantine facilities of mammals that do not meet the animal health requirements for GB entry.

In order to facilitate a prompt and effective response, it is essential that Scotland has an appropriate quarantine capacity. Through this notice, we, The Animal and Plant Health Agency ("APHA") working with our partners in the Scottish Government, are seeking providers, or potential providers, of authorised quarantine facilities in the UK to come forward to us. We are seeking to understand the number of existing commercial boarding kennels that may be suitable and interested in expanding their current business model to include authorised quarantine facilities under The Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and Other Mammals) Order 1974.

We are interested to understand the location of your facility, or your potential facility, to help inform our service planning. In time, suppliers who come forward to us will have an opportunity to, by quarantining and assist in bringing these pets to compliance, help in achieving our goal of protecting animal and public health and national biosecurity.

Conditions of becoming an authorised quarantine facility under The Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and Other Mammals) Order 1974 are detailed in here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5b2d0f9140f0b67f6af3a087/form-id50.pdf

Please respond to this notice by contacting Tom Redfearn, tom.redfearn@defra.gov.uk.

***NOTE ON VALUE: Due to the nature of how animals are quarantined (keepers / importers of animals are responsible for the payment of quarantine fees directly to private quarantine providers) we do not have clear indications on potential revenue suppliers may generate from such work***.