25 Jun 2021
Vets raise concerns after discovering animal health certificates and vaccine records can be easily forged and bought over social media.
Joshua Silverwood
Job Title
Image © Ngampol / Adobe Stock
Vets have called for action after some clinicians discovered animal health certificates and vaccine records could be forged and bought over social media.
The sector has been left on edge after a series of incidents involving fake animal welfare documents left vets and new dog owners feeling scammed.
From January 2021, any dogs travelling from the UK into the EU require an animal health certificate (AHC) that must be issued by an OV, but some vets have discovered forged certificates are easier to come by than was previously thought.
One London vet contacted Vet Times to report instances of customers who had reported to him that false AHCs could be bought on sites such as Facebook.
Speaking under anonymity, the concerned vet said: “We have three OVs working for us, issuing health certificates. As a vet at the practice it is my job to oversee these OVs.
“We had one client come in who was preparing her animals to be taken to Europe, but she told us that she said she would be able to acquire an AHC cheaper on Facebook.
“We discovered it was entirely possible to download the template for the form online from Defra’s own site. You could use Photoshop to add the correct stamps and details.”
The vet continued: “I called Defra and they told me that there was nothing they could do about it.
“We have specific numbers for certificates, but we do maybe 50 certificates in one batch and while we are sending those off, no one can check the validity of the forms before they get back to the Government.
“We also had similar issues with a prescription. We had been called by an online pharmacy to verify a prescription, which, according to our clinical record, had been issued years ago.
“I got the prescription emailed to me, and it was clearly photoshopped. They just changed the dates. But our stamps, our details; everything was there.”
A Defra spokesman iterated that AHCs are verified through the unique identification number attached to the document, which corresponds with the registration number of the vet listed.
The spokesman added: “There are a number of measures in place to ensure these certificates are only issued by authorised OVs – including the need for the certificates to carry the vet’s unique reference number and be stamped by them.
“Anyone who has suspicions about the authenticity of an export health certificate should contact the APHA. In the case of a forgery being detected, the APHA will investigate and, if appropriate, report the matter to police.”
However, it is not just AHCs that are being forged – earlier this month a Bath practice discovered that a spaniel brought in had had its vaccine record forged prior to being bought.
Mum-of-three Stephanie Wilkins brought Cooper the spaniel into an IVC Evidensia clinic after noticing his lethargy and diarrhoea. There, vets discovered he had canine parvovirus despite holding a vaccination certificate that claimed he was vaccinated.
On further inspection, staff at the clinic discovered it was a fake and lacked any kind of expected stamp or signature.
Cooper eventually recovered, but vets were unsure he would survive. When the RSPCA went to investigate the breeder’s home, it discovered it had been rented purely for the sale.
Ms Wilkins, said: “I think with everything we’ve had going on, we missed some warning signs. You’ve got to know everything is genuine and make sure you get all the vaccinations you need.”
Vet Giulia Grenga, from Bath Vet Group, said: “Cooper is really lucky to have recovered from parvo, which can often be fatal.
“Sadly, over lockdown, there has been a surge in parvo cases in the UK despite there being an effective vaccine available.”
