3.—(1) Subject to a certificate issued under paragraph (2) or (3), from 6th April 2016 every keeper of a dog which has not been implanted with a microchip by that date—
(a)which is older than 8 weeks; and
(b)which is not a certified working dog for the purposes of section 6(3) of the Animal Welfare Act 2006(1),
must ensure that it is microchipped.
(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply for as long as a veterinary surgeon certifies, on a form approved by the Secretary of State, that a dog should not be microchipped for reasons of the animal’s health.
(3) Subject to paragraph (4), from 6th April 2016 a keeper who imports a dog must ensure that the dog is microchipped in accordance with paragraph (5) within 30 days of importing the dog unless a veterinary surgeon certifies, on a form approved by the Secretary of State, that the dog should not be microchipped for reasons of the animal’s health.
(4) A certificate issued under paragraph (2) or (3) must state the period for which the dog will be unfit to be microchipped.
(5) A dog is microchipped where—
(a)a microchip which complies with regulation 4 has been implanted in the dog; and
(b)the details set out in regulation 5 are recorded on a database by a database operator meeting the conditions set out in regulation 6.