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Animal licensing policy

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The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 has changed the way animal-related businesses are inspected and licensed.

New regulations

The new regulations define the animal-based activities that need licences as:

  • selling animals as pets. This includes keeping animals in a business with a view to them being so sold or resold
  • providing or arranging accommodation for other people's cats or dogs. On any premises where the accommodation is a purpose of the business
  • hiring out horses for riding, instruction in riding, or both
  • breeding three or more litters of puppies in any 12-month period. Breeding dogs and advertising a business of selling dogs
  • keeping or training animals for exhibition. This could be for educational or entertainment purposes, either to any audience attending in person, or by recording

Read our Animal Licensing Policy (PDF, 267 KB).