THE EDITOR, Madam:
The report in THE STAR dated October 12, 2005, on the growing problem of illegally-imported dogs in draws attention to an important issue, but you overlooked some vital points related to the outdated ban on pet travel to Jamaica.
It is time that Jamaica join the growing international 'PETS' travel scheme. This is the position presented to the Ministry of Agriculture in a recent paper by the Jamaica Veterinary Medical Association (JVMA). The time has come for the Government to listen to the scientific judgement of the JVMA and to join the international community of rabies-free pet travel.
Initially, recognise a few facts. First, the type of pets that owners transport by airline are generally healthier than their owners, and through proper inspection and micro-chipping their health status can be positively ensured. Second, the United Kingdom now fully participates in the European Union Pets passport scheme, making Jamaica's very old law obsolete.
Third, animals do travel to Jamaica, whether the Ministry of Agriculture wants them to or not, so banning them serves only to drive their owners underground; the visible proliferation of pit bulls from Latin America which have likely not been inspected for rabies or other communicable diseases is a case in point, and without micro-chipping, we can never know for sure whether they have been adequately inspected.
Additionally, the current related policy of prohibiting the importation of rabies vaccine leaves veterinary professionals as well as the public completely defenceless against a public health disaster of immense proportions.
Together, these facts mean that in terms of achieving the policy's goal of protecting Jamaica from rabies, it is at best useless, and at worst directly counter-productive. More damaging, though, is the hindrance to Jamaica's struggling economy when you, in essence, ban pet lovers from travelling or relocating here. Why do 100,000 pets travel annually to Cayman? Because Americans and others who don't want to leave their pets at home can just as easily choose Cayman.
Changing this policy is as easy as it is urgent. This is a matter of administrative law belonging to the Ministry of Agriculture and does not require legislation. All that must happen is for the ministry to lift the travel ban under the same regulations currently practised by the U.K. and the rest of the EU.
We are, etc.,
MARK AND JEN KELSEY
St. James
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