There will be no pet passports for ferrets in Europe for the time being
because:-
 
The official line, confirmed by the Ministry of Agriculture, is that there
are no accurate blood tests to prove that vaccinated ferrets are immune
from rabies.  But there have been signs of deep-seated continental
prejudice against the animal.  During a debate, one MEP said that ferrets
should not be classed as pets because "it was only the British and the
Irish who liked putting them down their trousers".  Continental suspicion
of the ferret has been fuelled by the discovery in France of a wild ferret
in a chicken coop, and the French government claims that because ferrets
are "not vegetarians" they may be more susceptible to rabies.
 
British ministers have decided to back the decision by MEPs last week
to exclude ferrets from the list of animals to be included in the
European-wide passport scheme.
 
Chris Lloyd      ICQ no.  44575318
Wessex Ferret Club  Southampton. UK.   www.wfc.cwc.net
[Posted in FML issue 3394]