You are Here : Business  >  Licences and Permits  >  Animal Establishment  >  Animal Welfare
Wednesday , September , 17 2025
| Language and Accessibility

Animal Licensing
If you are carrying on a business involving animals, under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 you will require a licence for the following activities:
  • Selling animals as pets
  • Providing or arranging for the provision of boarding for cats or dogs (including day care)
  • Hiring out horses
  • Breeding dogs
  • Keeping or training animals for exhibition
These Regulations set nationally applicable conditions that licence holders must comply with.  As part of the licence application, the business will be inspected by a qualified officer to asses compliance with the statutory conditions. If successful, each business will issued with a licence detailing how long the licence is valid for and a star rating which is based on the inspection findings and compliance history. (Note: 'Keeping or Training Animals for Exhibition' are not issued a star rating). The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 can be found to the right on this page.
Further information and fees for each licensable activity can be found on the relevant web pages 
Zoos and Dangerous and Wild Animals are licensed under existing legislation.

Complaints

Please contact us if you have a complaint about the welfare of animals or nuisance caused by any licensed or non licensed animal establishment, or if you become aware of a non licensed premise or have any concerns re a licensed premise, please inform us at [email protected]

 

Animal movement licensing

Any person keeping or wanting to keep the following animals:

  • Cattle
  • Sheep and goats
  • Pigs

must apply to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) for a holding number. When this number is received the animals can be moved onto or off the premises via the method described on the DEFRA website (link on the right).

All movements are controlled by general license. In addition to the general license, deer, sheep and goats must be accompanied by a form AML1 and pigs by a form AML2. These need to filled in triplicate. One copy to be retained by the owner of the animals, two copies to the person buying the animals, one of which should be forwarded to his Local Authority. These can be obtained from us or downloaded from the DEFRA website.

If you have a query regarding the movement of animals or would like any of the above forms please contact us.

This A to Z of services list provides links to service pages alphabetically