Animal related licences
Primates
The Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2023 became law on 5 March 2024. It brings in a licensing scheme to make sure all primates in England will be kept in zoo level standards of animal welfare. Private primate keepers will be subject to regular inspections, making sure these standards are upheld.
Existing primate keepers will have 2 years until 6 April 2026 to reach compliance with the welfare standards.
From 6 April 2026 it will be an offence for anyone to keep a primate without a relevant licence. Failure to comply with licence conditions could result in an unlimited fine, removal of the primate or imprisonment for a term of up to 6 months.
Application process
Details of the compliance standards and the full licence application process will be published here when available.