British pets will need EU passports to enter Northern Ireland in best-case Brexit system

BRITISH cats, dogs and ferrets will need an EU pet passport to travel to Northern Ireland after the end of the Brexit transition period, it has emerged.

The creation of an internal “pet border” in the United Kingdom from Jan 1 next year is a result of the Withdrawal Agreement Boris Johnson negotiated with Brussels.

That deal effectively keeps Northern Ireland in the EU’S customs territory and moves the border between it and the Republic to the Irish Sea to prevent the need for checks on the border after Brexit. The EU’S Pet Travel Scheme allows for the free movement of cats, dogs and ferrets in the bloc without the need for quarantine.

A quarter of a million British pets use their passports to travel in the EU every year, according to the European Commission.

Joe Moran, deputy coordinator of the UK-EU Animal Welfare Taskforce and who works for the Eurogroup for Animals, said: “You can’t refer to the UK at all in this case as a single unit any more. Pet passports will be needed between Great Britain and Northern Ireland”.

Animals from mainland Britain travelling to Northern Ireland will need the documents, as will pet owners in

Northern Ireland travelling back from Great Britain.

The requirement for an Eu-approved pet passport is a best-case scenario. It is subject to the European Commission agreeing a British request to be considered a “listed” non-eu country that meets the necessary health requirements. If Brussels decides to withhold approval, a more burdensome system will be necessary.

If approval is granted, British holidaymakers will be able to carry on taking their pets to Europe as they do now.

It may not be necessary to replace existing EU passports, Mr Moran said.

“The request is under examination,” an EU source told The Daily Telegraph.