Source: Department of Food, Agriculture and the Marine
From 1st February 2020, anyone who sells or supplies pet animals must comply with a number of new requirements, under the Animal Health and Welfare (Sale or Supply of Pet Regulations) 2019. These include:
- anyone selling or supplying six or more pet animals in a year must register with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The registration form is here: Pet Sales Application for Registration (doc 135Kb) The registration requirement does not apply to persons or organisations to whom the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010 applies, or a local authority or a facility run by or on behalf of a local authority;
- anyone selling or supplying six or more pet animals in a year must maintain certain records regarding pet animals kept for sale or supply;
- anyone advertising a pet animal for sale or supply must include certain information in the ad, including the microchip number in the case of dogs;
- the new regulations prohibit the sale or supply of pet animals under certain specified minimum ages.
An information note on the new regulations is here: Information Note(pdf 252Kb)
Code of practice for sellers or suppliers of pet animals
The Department is also issuing a voluntary Code of practice for sellers or suppliers of pet animals. The Code contains guidelines on animal welfare and also addresses public health concerns, for example the need for good hygiene when handling animals, and the potential risk to the health of children associated with contact with reptiles. The code of practice is here: Code of Practice (pdf 450Kb)
