Published on:
16
December 2021
New licensing regulations to help protect animal welfare have been considered by the Council today (16 December) and breeders, sellers and those involved in rehoming and rescue centres are encouraged to check if their activities are now required to be licenced.
Scotland-wide legislation introduced in the autumn has replaced existing dog breeding and pet selling regulations, as well as introducing new licensing requirements for those breeding cats and rabbits, animal rescue centres, rehoming centres and other rehoming activities.
The aim is to provide a modern system of licencing and registration for animal sanctuaries and rehoming. The new regulations also seek to improve licencing for dog, cat and rabbit breeding, dealing and selling so that conditions in breeding units in Scotland can be controlled and breeders identified when advertising animals for sale.
The Council has agreed licensing fees to reflect the changes and the work required to process the new regime, with discounts of 50% available to animal welfare establishments that are Scottish registered charities.
Cllr Donald Balsillie, Vice Convener of the Partnership & Performance Committee said: “The introduction of this new licensing regime is a very important step in helping to protect the welfare of animals and consumers.
“We have all been very concerned to see reports of animals being bred and kept in horrible conditions that impact on long term health and wellbeing, and these new regulations will help buyers to have confidence that they are buying from a responsible breeder and that the welfare of the animals are protected.
“The Scottish SPCA does great work in protecting animals, including wild animals from throughout Scotland brought to Clackmannanshire for treatment. We’re pleased to be able to support them and other registered animal welfare charities by providing a 50% discount on licensing fees.”
The Scottish SPCA’s Wildlife Rehoming Centre is located at Fishcross. Scottish SPCA Head of Education, Policy and Research, Gilly Mendes Ferreira, said: “We’re delighted about the introduction of the new licensing legislation and we welcome the action proposed by the Council.
“The new restrictions have reduced the number of litters, from five down to three, allowed without a licence which will be beneficial for animal welfare. A central database of all licensed breeders will allow members of the public to verify that their breeder is licensed which promotes responsible breeding and will hopefully add a level of security against low-welfare breeders.
“We are pleased to see that the council has followed the government advice to reduce the licensing fees for animal welfare charities to 50% of the full fee due to the importance of the essential work they carry out. This reduction is very welcome as it allows more charitable funds to go towards rescuing and rehabilitating the animals who need our care.
‘We will work closely with Clackmannanshire Council to make sure that all those who need licensed will be, and together we will ensure the highest animal welfare standards.”