The Heathrow Animal Reception Centre (HARC) has retained its IATA CEIV Live Animals certification, marking the third consecutive certification cycle for the specialist border facility.
Operated by the City of London Corporation, HARC is the only Border Control Post in Europe currently certified under IATA’s CEIV Live Animals programme. It is also the UK’s only Live Animal Border Control Post approved to handle all species.
The latest certification was awarded following an independent assessment covering HARC’s facilities, operating procedures, staff expertise and regulatory compliance.
Based on the perimeter of Heathrow Airport, the centre handles animals arriving in the UK by air and works alongside airlines to ensure import and welfare requirements are met. Its remit ranges from pets and horses to zoo animals, fish, reptiles and invertebrates.
Alongside animal welfare, HARC forms part of the UK’s biosecurity controls, conducting checks designed to prevent diseases including rabies from entering the country.
Peter Dunphy MBE, chair of the City of London Corporation’s Port Health and Environmental Services Committee, said the third certification was an “important endorsement of the expertise and dedication” of HARC staff.
“When it comes to animal welfare, there is no room for compromise, and HARC is setting the international benchmark for the safe and humane transport of animals by air,” he added.
Brendan Sullivan, global head of cargo at IATA, said HARC was “leading by example” and helping to raise standards for the safe and humane transportation of animals.
