Licensing of animal activities
Local authorities in Wales licence certain activities involving animals - such as dog breeding - and the relevant establishments relating to this
In this guide, the words 'must' or 'must not' are used where there is a legal requirement to do (or not do) something. The word 'should' is used where there is established legal guidance or best practice that is likely to help you avoid breaking the law.
This guidance is for Wales
The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Wales) Regulations 2021 require persons to be licensed in order to carry out certain activities. The Regulations set out the duties of local authorities to license activities involving animals and the relevant establishments relating to this.
THE LICENSING OF ACTIVITIES INVOLVING ANIMALS
Under the Regulations, a licensable activity means an activity carried on in the course of a business. An activity could, for example, be carried out if the business operator either:
- makes any sale by, or otherwise carries on, the activity with a view to making a profit
or
- earns any commission or fee from the activity
If you are uncertain as to whether an activity falls under the Regulations, please contact your local council for clarification and for detail on any fees payable.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
You have legal responsibilities under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (for business-to-consumer contracts) and the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008 (for business-to-business contracts).
If you are selling animals, it is your responsibility to ensure that any form of representation (including advertising) made in connection with the sale, in order to promote the supply or transfer of ownership, is true.
Representation includes such things as the identity of the animal, its identification records, date of birth, pedigree certificate, breeding records, health status, history and any description you apply to it.
All information given by you or in any document must be true. It is a criminal offence to mislead.
It is an offence for a business to mislead by pretending to be a private seller to avoid their legal obligations. If you are in business and selling animals, you must declare (for example, in advertisements or when negotiating a sale) that you are a business or connected to a business.
For more information, please see 'Buying and selling livestock'.
TRADING STANDARDS
For information on the work of Trading Standards services - and the possible consequences of not abiding by the law - please see 'Trading Standards: powers, enforcement and penalties'.
IN THIS UPDATE
Changes made to reflect the coming into force of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (Part 4, Chapter 1: 'Protection from unfair trading').
Last reviewed / updated: April 2025
Key legislation
Please note
This information is intended for guidance; only the courts can give an authoritative interpretation of the law.
The guide's 'Key legislation' links may only show the original version of the legislation, although some amending legislation is linked to separately where it is directly related to the content of a guide. Information on changes to legislation can be found on each link's 'More Resources' tab.
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