Animal licensing laws from 1^st October 2018

The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals)(England) Regulations 2018 came into effect on 1^st October 2018.  Under these Regulations any person carrying out any of the activities listed below will be covered under a single type of licence known as an ‘animal activity licence’. 

• selling animals as pets
• boarding cats or dogs
• providing boarding kennels for dogs
• providing home boarding (including day care) for dogs
• hiring out horses
• breeding dogs dog breeders
• keeping or training animals for exhibition

The ‘animal activity licences’ have nationally-set conditions for businesses providing animal-related services. We cannot change these conditions as they are set in the legislation.  Businesses operating with these activities will need to comply with these conditions, and will be assessed before the license is granted to make sure they can meet them.

• The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals)(England) Regulations 2018
• Procedural Guidance for Animal Activity Licensing 2018

Licence conditions for each of the animal activities covered

• Guidance notes for breeding dogs
• Guidance notes for boarding cats
• Guidance notes for boarding dogs in kennels
• Guidance notes for dog day care
• Guidance notes for hiring out horses
• Guidance notes for exhibition of animals
• Guidance notes for selling animals as pets
• Guidance notes on providing home boarding for dogs

The application process

• Application form for breeding dogs
• Application form for boarding cats
• Application form for boarding dogs in kennels
• Application form for dog day care
• Application form for hiring out horses
• Application form for exhibition of animals
• Application form for selling animals as pets
• Application form for home boarding for dogs

Once the application has been received, we will examine the information that has been provided and we will send out an invoice.  When payment has been received and the application form with supporting documentation are all checked and ok we will then instruct the Animal Welfare Officer to arrange an inspection.

Fees

The following fees came in to effect from 1st January 2019. 

The application fees are payable following submission of a valid licence application (an invoice will be sent for payment of the Application Licence Fee). Once the inspection has been undertaken and the decision to grant a licence has been made a second invoice for payment of the Licence Compliance Fee will be sent for payment. If the second payment is not received the licence will become invalid.

Veterinary inspections and reports are required for riding establishments, zoos, dangerous wild animals and dog breeding establishments (new applications only for dog breeding) the fees are payable directly to the vet in addition to the licence fee.

Please note that licensing arrangements for Dangerous Wild Animals and for Zoos are not altered by the new regulations.

• Conditions for dangerous wild animals
• Conditions for zoos

If you have any questions on this topic please contact us on 01283 508578 or email ehsupport@eaststaffsbc.gov.uk