United Kingdom Licensing and Regulation of Pet Shops

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Brief Summary of the Licensing and Regulation of Pet Shops (UK)
Alan Bates (2002)

The Pet Animals Act 1951 establishes a regulatory regime for “pet shops” under which local authorities (district and borough councils) are responsible for inspecting and licensing premises.

The Act does not restrict the definition of “pet shop” to establishments visited by potential customers as the ordinary meaning of “pet shop” would suggest. Section 7(1) of the Act defines “pet shop” to include:

(i) any premises from which a business of selling animals as pets is carried on, and

(ii) any premises in which animals are kept with a view to their being sold in the course of such a business.

This definition is broad enough to cover premises that merely hold animals that are in the pet supply chain.

The kinds of pet animals covered by the Act include “any description of vertebrate”. It therefore applies to a broad range of animals, including all mammals, birds, fish and reptiles. The word “pet” is not defined, but, in the case of cats and dogs, the Act relates to those sold or kept “wholly or mainly for domestic purposes". Animals sold or kept “for ornamental purposes” are also included.

When deciding whether to grant a license, local authorities must consider a number of issues such as:

a. the needs of the animals, such as suitable accommodation and food and water,

b. the welfare of the animals, including that they are not sold when they are too young,

c. the precautions that need to be taken to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, and

d. fire procedures.

The local authority is to specify conditions in the licenses that they grant to secure those objectives. Keeping a pet shop without a license and failing to comply with a license condition are criminal offenses.

The Act bans the selling of animals in public places and from market stalls. A subject of dispute between certain local authorities and animal welfare campaigners has been whether one-day exotic animal fairs are prohibited. These are events, typically held at leisure centers and racecourses, at which a number of breeders and dealers have stalls from which they sell animals. 

The Act also bans the selling of pets to persons under twelve years of age.

Overview of the Licensing and Regulation of Pet Shops (UK)
Alan Bates (2002)

The Pet Animals Act 1951 establishes a regulatory regime for "pet shops" under which local authorities (district and borough councils) are responsible for inspecting and licensing premises.

What kinds of animals are protected by the Act?

The Act establishes a regime designed to benefit the welfare of animals in the pet trade. "Animal" is defined by the Act to include "any description of vertebrate". It therefore applies to a broad range of animals, including all mammals, birds, fish and reptiles. The word "pet" is not defined, but, in the case of cats and dogs, the Act relates to those sold or kept "wholly or mainly for domestic purposes". Animals sold or kept "for ornamental purposes" are also included.

What kinds of establishments are covered by the Act? 

The Act does not restrict the definition of "pet shop" to establishments visited by potential customers as the ordinary meaning of "pet shop" would suggest. Section 7(1) of the Act defines "pet shop" to include:

(i)  carrying on at premises of any nature (including a private dwelling) of a business of selling animals as pets, and

(ii)  keeping animals in any such premises with a view to their being sold in the course of such a business, whether by the keeper of the animals or by any other person.

This definition is broad enough to cover premises that merely hold animals that are in the pet supply chain.

The regulatory regime

Section 1 of the Act lists five non-exclusive considerations for the local authority to take into account when deciding whether to grant a license. These are expressed as "the need for securing" that animals are:

(a) kept in suitable accommodation,

(b) supplied with food and water and visited at suitable intervals,

(c) that mammals are not sold at too early an age,

(d) that reasonable precautions will be taken to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, and

(e) that appropriate steps will be taken in case of fire or other emergency.

The local authority is to specify conditions in the licenses that they grant that appear necessary to secure those objectives. Keeping a pet shop without a license and failing to comply with a license condition are criminal offences.

Prohibition of selling animals on the streets and at markets

Section 2 makes it an offence to carry on a business of selling animals as pets:

(a)  in any part of a street or public place, or

(b)  at a stall or barrow in a market.

A subject of considerable dispute between certain local authorities and animal welfare campaigners has been whether one-day exotic animal fairs are prohibited by the section. These are events, typically held at leisure centers and racecourses, at which a number of breeders and dealers have stalls from which they sell animals.

On the plain wording of the section, it would appear that such events are prohibited, both because they are usually held in a "public place" and also because each trader will be selling animals at a market stall. The word "market" is not defined in the Act, but the word is not qualified by the word "outdoor" and the common law definition and ordinary meaning of "a market" is a concourse of buyers and sellers.

Prohibition on selling pets to children under 12

Section 3 makes it an offence to sell a pet "to a person whom he has reasonable cause to believe to be under the age of twelve years".

Related articles

Animal welfare protection laws in the world, Sabine Brels, Laval University, Québec, Canada (2010).

Related cases

Rogers v. Teignbridge District Council (United Kingdom, 2000): Richard Rogers was the organiser of a planned event called "The Creepy Crawly Show". The event, which was to have been held at a racecourse, would have involved the display and sale of small exotic animals. He applied to the local council for a pet shop licence under the Pet Animals Act 1951. The application was refused on the ground that the event was prohibited by section 2 of the Act. Mr Rogers appealed to the local magistrates court.

Rapa Ltd. v. Trafford Borough Council (United Kingdom, 2002): Small transparent cubes containing water and live fish were sold as novelty items, known as 'aquababies', from a barrow in a thoroughfare of a large indoor shopping mall. The borough council refused to reissue a pet shop license for the barrow on the ground that the selling of animals as pets in these circumstances was prohibited by section 2. The licensee appealed to the magistrates' court.

Table of UK Cases, Generally

 

Related laws

Pet Animals Act 1951: An Act to Regulate the Sale of Pet Animals (1951 c 35)

Table of UK Laws, Generally

Related Links

Web Center Links:

United Kingdom Topical Introduction

External Links:

United Kingdom's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (defra) - http://ww2.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/cruelty/ (includes links to Codes of Practice for pets)

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