Mr President
  
I understand that the original idea for the creation of pet passports came from the Official Monster Raving Loony Party in the UK, which probably best sums up this dangerous scheme.
 
My country had a compulsory six month quarantine period for domestic pets. Under the EU pet passport system, this important bulwark against the spread of disease was summarily removed.   The unelected European Commission was able to over rule the democratically elected British Government and introduce a system without a quarantine that relies on vaccinations and the accuracy of paperwork. 
 
As a farmer, I know something about vaccination.  It is by no means a guarantee against animals bringing diseases across borders.  The effectiveness of a vaccination can be compromised by many things; including its being administered to an animal that already has the disease it is being inoculated against.  Vaccinated animals can also be carriers of disease, without symptoms. Batches of vaccine vary in quality and forged paperwork is a real probability.
 
I understand there is no standardisation of enforcement of the scheme. Some countries require the formal passport, while others will take the documentation in any form. Still others will not accept the passport as proof of vaccination.  Many airlines are unable to provide details of the formal procedures and staff are poorly trained.
 
In other words Mr President, this system is a disaster waiting to happen.  The tinkering in this report reassures me not one jot.  This is a classic case of ‘if it isn’t bust, don’t fix it’, as far as my country is concerned.  Such excellent advice is beyond the comprehension of the busybodies at the Commission.