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Animal welfare

All animals and pets should receive proper care

Important notice

Two cases of bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3) has been confirmed which affect North East Lincolnshire:

A temporary control zone covering parts of North East Lincolnshire has been declared. If premises are partly inside the temporary control zone the whole premises is considered to be inside the temporary control zone.

Check the APHA bluetongue disease control zone map to see if your premises is in the temporary control zone.

The movement of ruminants (cattle, sheep, goats and deer) and camalids and their germinal products (embryo, ovum or semen) on to or off premises in the temporary control zone is prohibited except in accordance with a licence issued by a veterinary inspector.  

More information

Any person or business running under one the following must have an animal welfare licence:

  • sell animals as pets or to a pet shop
  • provide home boarding or day care to cats and dogs
  • hire horses or donkeys out
  • breed dogs for 3 or more litters in 12 months
  • display animals or train animals for shows

We may check your premises before giving you a licence, you will need to prove that animals in your care are kept in suitable accommodation, have enough food, water and bedding, regularly exercised, safeguarded and protected from any infectious diseases.

Animal establishments

General conditions for all premises (PDF, 80KB)

Fees are for a 3 years licence depending on the premises achieving a 5 star rating. Any premises which fail to meet the 5 star standard will pay the same fee but will only receive a 1 or 2 years licence.

Establishment typeFee
Selling Animals as Pets Licence£490
Hiring Out Horses Licence£615
Dangerous Wild Animal Licence£550
Zoo Licence£4200
Animal Boarding Licence£502
Home Boarding Licence£465
Day Care for Dogs£440
Dog Breeding Licence£615
Keeping or Training Animals for Exhibition£465
Arranging Home Boarding for Dogs (includes one host)£527
Arranging Home Boarding for Dogs Additional Host£313
Copy of an Animal Welfare Licence£50
Variation of an Animal Establishment Licence£188
Re-rating inspection£175

Animal welfare register

View the list of local people and businesses who’re licenced under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018.

Local animal welfare register

Wild animals

If you own an animal which is considered to be wild, dangerous or exotic you must have a dangerous wild animal licence which costs £550 for up to 3 years. Fees are for a 3 years licence depending on the premises achieving a 5 star rating. Any premises which fail to meet the 5 star standard will pay the same fee but will only receive a 1 or 2 years licence.

Animals you need a licence for:

  • wild cats
  • primates
  • wild dogs, eg wolves
  • certain pigs, eg wild boar
  • marsupials

To apply for a Danger Wild Animal licence, please contact the Licensing team 01472 326299 (option 2).

Zoo licence

To open a zoo and display wild animals to the public for at least 7 days a year (doesn’t include a circus or pet shop), you must apply and have a licence granted by the council.

You must notify the council at least 2 months before you submit your application to let us know:

  • where the zoo will be
  • what animals you’ll be keeping and how many
  • how you will look after the animals
  • your staffing arrangements
  • estimated number of visitors and vehicles
  • entrance and exits points

  1. Notify the council of your plans to open a zoo
  2. Complete an application to operate a zoo licence
  3. Display your application at your planned site and in a local newspaper
  4. Wait to hear from the council about an inspection

Fees are for a 3 years licence depending on the premises achieving a 5 star rating. Any premises which fail to meet the 5 star standard will pay the same fee but will only receive a 1 or 2 years licence.

Fee typeCost
Zoo licence£936

You will get at least 28 days notice before your inspection and you must be able to show you are:

  • helping to educate people
  • taking care of the animals to a high standard
  • making sure animals can’t escape
  • preventing pests and vermin
  • considering the health and safety of local people

You must also be doing at least one of the following:

  • conservation research or training
  • sharing conservation information
  • captive animal breeding
  • helping repopulate or reintroduce species into the wild
Read the full zoo licencing act

Primate licensing

From 6 April 2026, if you wish to privately keep a primate, you will need to obtain a licence.

The Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2024 came into force from 6 April 2025. The legislation brings in a licensing scheme, setting strict rules to ensure that only private keepers who can provide zoo-level welfare standards will be able to keep primates.

  • Marmosets
  • Tamarins
  • Squirrel Monkeys
  • Spider Monkeys
  • Capuchin Monkeys
  • Lemurs
  • Lorisids (also known as bush babies)

Please note that some of these primates are also listed as dangerous wild animals (DWA).

A separate Dangerous Wild Animals Licence will be required to keep these primates. You can find the list of animals designated as DWA here: The Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 (Modification) (No.2) Order 2007

Existing private primate keepers can apply for a primate licence from April 2025 and, from 6 April 2026, all private primate keepers and people proposing to keep a primate will be required to hold a licence, valid for a maximum of three years, and undergo reassessment to renew their permission to keep their animals.

A person who requires a primate licence and keeps a primate in England without one will be committing an offence under section 13 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and will be liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term of up to six months, a fine or both.

We are expecting DEFRA to issue further guidance in relation to primate licences and this webpage will be updated following this. Please check back soon for any changes or additional information.

You should apply for a primate licence from April 2025. Doing so early will mean that you have a longer period to adapt to the changes that will become law in April 2026.

You can find the conditions that you will need to meet in Schedule 1 of the regulations. All applicants will need to meet the conditions.

The regulations do not apply to any premises licensed under the Zoo Licensing Act or places specified in a licence under section 2C of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act.

There will be an application fee and the cost of the vet’s time will also be recharged to the applicant. Once a valid application is received, an inspection will be booked with our animal inspector accompanied by a vet. The Inspectors will assess your premises against the conditions specified in the regulations.

Primate licences last for a maximum of 3 years but you can request a shorter period if necessary. You must apply to renew your licence 10 weeks before your current one ends.

The regulations require the following paperwork to be kept as part of the licence. In order to ensure we deal with your application as quickly as possible, you should submit them as part of your application.

Your policies and procedures should provide a snapshot of your business and detail how you meet all of the licence conditions.

  • A plan of the premises
  • A register of all animals kept on the premises, including:
    • its name;
    • its sex;
    • its microchip number;
    • its date of birth or, if not known, its approximate date of birth;
    • its species;
    • its colour and markings;
    • the name and contact details of its previous keeper (where applicable);
    • the date and cause of its death (where applicable); and
    • where the primate is permanently transferred to other premises, the name and contact details of the new keeper (where applicable) and the address of the place to which it has been relocated;
  • A written emergency plan, covering:
    • the measures to be taken for the removal of the primates should the licensed premises become unsafe or uninhabitable;
    • the arrangements for the care of the primates during and following an emergency; and
    • an up-to-date list of emergency contact details that includes the fire service and police.
  • A written procedure for special circumstances, including contingencies in the event of:
    • the temporary isolation of any primate including arrangements for ensuring that the welfare needs of any primate that is being temporarily isolated are met during the period of its isolation, the death or escape of a primate; and
    • the care of the primates following the revocation of the licence or the death of the licence holder.
    • The individual diet plans for each primate.
    • This must be created based on guidance from a vet or primate dietary expert
    • A written hygiene protocol, covering:
    • Cleaning and disinfecting
    • Prevention and control of the spread of disease
    • A written transportation procedure covering the welfare of the primate while being transported.

Contact details

  • 01472 326299
    Telephone opening times: Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm, except bank holidays
  • [email protected]
  • Licensing , Doughty road depot, Doughty road, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, DN31 1HU

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