BVA welcomes EU ruling to combat canine tapeworm

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has responded positively to a new EU ruling that will help to protect the UK from dog tapeworm.

This month, the European Commission adopted a regulation that will see dogs being treated by veterinarians for rabies, ticks and tapeworms before travelling to listed EU member states, including the UK.

It comes after the British government announced last month that the UK's derogation from European pet travel rules, allowing additional protection against the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, is coming to an end in December 2011.

However, the BVA has lobbied the European Commission for controls to be maintained, a stance that this new ruling supports.

Harvey Locke, president of the organisation, said: "The next stage of our lobbying will be to ensure that member states and MEPs from across Europe support the UK's case for the additional controls."

Earlier this month, the BVA stated that it will continue to lobby the EU for the introduction of laws to make it mandatory for sellers of meat products to inform consumers whether the animal in question had been stunned before slaughter.