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Under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 any person or organisation that supplies animals as pets to persons in Scotland that have been sourced for that purpose from either within or outwith Scotland must hold a licence.
Any such person or organisation engaging in animal rehoming activities and supplying five or more animals as pets in any 12 month period must be licensed, unless the animal being supplied is a fish or was bred by the person supplying the animal.
Please complete the application form and submit to licensing@east-ayrshire.gov.uk. On receipt of the application a member of the Licensing Section will contact you for payment.
The licence may be granted for a period of up to three years.
Application for animal rehoming activities licence (PDF 317Kb)
The Scottish Government produced the following guidance:
Scottish Government: The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 - guidance for animal rehoming activities
The guidance notes should be read before applying for a licence.
Under the 2021 Regulations there are general conditions attached to the licence. These are within Schedule 2 of the 2021 Regulations.
There are also specific conditions attached to the licence that are within Schedule 4 of the 2021 Regulations. Both can be viewed below. The Licensing Section may also add additional conditions where necessary.
Legislation.gov.uk: The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 - general conditions
Legislation.gov.uk: The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 - specific conditions