The Animal Welfare Regulations 2018

General guidance on written procedures you must include with licensing applications

You must send copies of your written procedures to us with your application. If you do not, then we cannot process the application until we receive the paperwork.

1. Written training policy for staff

You must review and update your training plan annually.

It must:

•  include all the following:
  • an annual appraisal
  • planned continued professional development
  • recognition of knowledge gaps
  • use of online courses and literature

If you do not have staff, you must:

• complete a training plan for yourself
• show your own knowledge development

2. Feeding regimes

You must tell us what food you will feed to all animals, including weights, types, times and treats

3. Cleaning regimes

You must tell us about:

• the daily and weekly cleaning routines
• areas cleaned
• disinfectant/liquids used to clean and their quantities

4. Transportation

You must tell us:

• what transport you will use
• the circumstances when you will use it
• how you will securely transport animals, for example the use of harnesses, crates
• how you will clean the transportation

5. Prevention and the control of the spread of disease

Details on how you will control the spread of diseases including:

• cleaning liquid uses
• worming treatments
• flea treatments
• vaccinations
• quarantine procedures
• isolation facilities used

6. Monitoring and ensuring the health and welfare of all the animals

Your procedures on:

• how you will check the health and behaviour of animals
• what records you will keep
• what measures you would take acting on unusual behaviour and/or illness in an animal

7. Death or escape of an animal (including the storage of carcasses)

Your procedures on:

• how you would deal with a death of an animal on site
• what decisions are in place with customers to include the chosen disposal/retention of deceased animals
• what actions you will take if an animal is to escape

8. Emergency procedures

This can be: 

• following revocation or suspension and should cover:
  • what you will do with animals on the premises including information on agreements with other boarders, breeders, veterinary practices
  • what you will do to cease the activity
• in case of a fire, breakdown of heating or another emergency and should cover
  • what you will do with animals on the premises including any agreements with other boarders, breeders and veterinary practices
  • evacuation policies including where you will evacuate animals to

9. Preventative Healthcare Plan

You do not need this plan if your application is for the selling of animals as pets.

This should be:

• a summary of steps and procedures making sure you check the health of the animals
• it should include:
  • vaccinations
  • behaviour monitoring
  • cleaning practices
• signed by your veterinary surgeon

10. Emergencies

You must:

• have a written emergency plan in place
• make your emergency plan available to all people
• have suitable firefighting, fire prevention and detection equipment in place

Your plan must:

• tell people what they must do in case of:
  • fire
  • breakdown of essential heating
  • breakdown of ventilation, aeration/filtration systems
  • any other emergencies
• have plans for alternative accommodation if the emergency requires that animals will need to move from the premises
• have a policy in place for dealing with extremes of temperatures, this includes both hot and cold
• have numbers for emergency services and any emergency contacts for the animals