Members of the public who sell pet animals are urged to check whether they need a licence.
Ceredigion County Council is reminding people who sell pet animals regularly for profit whether that be private sellers who sell from home, using the internet to advertise or advertising locally to be aware of the new legal requirements to be licensed.
The law regarding the sale of pet animals was updated in September 2021 to provide wider safeguards to those animals being sold as pets. The new regulations are known as Animal Welfare (Licencing of Activities Involving Animals) (Wales) Regulations 2021 (LAIA 2021).
Any member of the public selling an occasion pet, for example puppies/kittens from their own pet dog/cat is unlikely to require a licence. However if you breed and sell regularly for profit then this law may apply to you.
The Council have now set the fees with regards to these new licenses and is welcoming anyone who thinks they may require a licence for selling pet animals, to contact our Public Protection Service to request a licence.
Councillor Matthew Vaux is the Cabinet Member responsible for Public Protection. He said: “Members of the public who are regular pet breeders are required by law to have a licence. A pet can include any animal such as cat, dog, bird or fish kept for personal interest, companionship, ornamental purposes, or any combination of the three. If you think you may need a licence, please get in touch with the Public Protection Team.”
The Welsh Government have produced guidance to provide advice in determining whether an activity may require a licence. The guidance sets out examples of the type of activity that should or should not be considered within the scope of the regulations and the indicators that should be considered when deciding whether a licence is required. To take a look at the guidance, visit: gov.wales/statutory-guidance-pet-sales-licensing-regime
The Council’s Customer Services Contact Centre can be contacted by phone: 01545 570881 or by email: clic@ceredigion.gov.uk.
06/10/2022