Owners travelling to the continent with their pets are being treated as cash cows because of new and unnecessary documentation, a leading Cheshire-based lawyer has claimed

Nick Freeman, who lives in Pickmere, is now lobbying the Government to drop Animal Health Certificates (AHC) which replaced pet passports from the beginning of January.

The AHC certificates are needed if owners wish to take their dogs (cats or ferrets) to the EU. Yet the new documentation - which costs £110 – only lasts for four months, compared to pet passports which had no expiry date.

“The existing system was perfectly reasonable,” says the lawyer known as Mr Loophole for his ability to win cases for celebrity clients based on legal technicalities.

"The new AHC is an unnecessary expense for travellers when they are already likely to be battered by extra costs such as PCR tests."

As well as getting an AHC from a vet within 10 days of departure, travellers will need to ensure their pet is microchipped and vaccinated.

And they will still need to see a vet in the EU country they are travelling to before returning back to the UK.

Mr Freeman added: “As a sufferer of chronic air sickness, I only ever holiday abroad by car.

"As a result I have been driving to the South of France, several times a year, with various family pets, for the best part of 30 years.

"Consequently I am very familiar with the pre-Brexit system of pet passports.

"It is a system which has always worked seamlessly and clearly requires no alteration and amendment.

"All the information needed as a condition of entry is contained in the pet passport including the date of the last rabies vaccination.

"I therefore cannot understand the purpose of the new scheme.

"As well as the cost, they could also increase demand for vet appointments since vets will be absorbed by this new paperwork – very distressing if you have a sick animal in need of medical care."

Mr Freeman, whose clients have included David Beckham and Jeremy Clarkson, also points out that the AHC will trigger even more administrative delays at ports.

He has written repeatedly to George Eustace, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural, asking him to rethink the AHC scheme.

Despite repeated entreaties, the lawyer has received only an acknowledgement of letters and a promise to reply.

The lawyer, who runs www.savethestaffy.co.uk, went on to say: "At a time of such uncertainty, needless cost and bureaucracy is something the British public could well do without.

"More and more people will be travelling with their dogs after restrictions are lifted since many kennels went out of business during lockdown so they have nowhere to leave them.

"Or perhaps people won`t fancy going by plane because of having to wear a mask.

"So if they are already driving will see no reason not to take their dog with too.

"The Government already treats the British motorist as a cash cow on UK roads.

"Now, thanks to the AHC it seems this is being extended on travels abroad too."