Licensing of activities involving animals: consultation response analysis
Analysis of the responses received to the public consultation, between 4 July 2023 and 26 September 2023, on the potential future licensing of a range of animal-related activities.
2. Background
In September 2021, a new animal licensing framework came into force - The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 (The 2021 Regulations). This framework currently requires persons engaging in the following activities to be licensed (subject to meeting certain criteria)—
- dog, cat or rabbit breeding,
- pet selling,
- operating an animal welfare establishment (including sanctuaries and rehoming centres),
- engaging in other animal rehoming activities (other than operating an animal welfare establishment - e.g. bringing dogs into Scotland for the purposes of rehoming them as pets).
The 2021 regulations apply only to activities in Scotland and are enforced by local authorities.
It was a Programme for Government commitment to consult on proposals to extend the 2021 regulations to animal care services. The consultation recently undertaken delivers on that commitment.
It is anticipated that any new licensing requirements will be implemented through the 2021 framework. This would be achieved by way of an amending regulation that would essentially add new activities, each with their own specific licence conditions, to the existing 2021 licensing framework.
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