Exhibition of animals

Licensing of animal activities

Licences for keeping or training animals for exhibition are controlled by the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 and we are the licensing authority for Rushmoor.

You can read the keeping or training animals for exhibition licensing statutory guidance to determine whether you need a licence. Please contact us if you need to discuss the licensing requirements further. 

Applying for a new licence

To apply for a new licence, please submit a completed exhibition of animals application form.  

New licence fees

The application fee is payable at the time of application, and is non-refundable. The enforcement fee is payable on grant of a licence. We will not grant a licence until the enforcement fee is paid.

If you apply for more than one licensable activity at the same time, you only need to pay the application and enforcement fee once. You can then pay a £50 fee for each additional activity.

If you do this, the higher application or enforcement fee will apply as the main activity, and the lower priced activity will be charged at the additional £50 fee.

This only applies when you apply for or renew all licences at the same time. If you don’t apply at the same time, you will need to pay the separate application and enforcement fees for each activity.

Renewing your licence

We will write to you before your licence is due to expire to explain how to renew your licence.  You will need to submit your completed exhibition of animals application form at least ten weeks before your existing licence expires.  Please contact us for an application form. 

Renewal fees

The application fee is payable at the time of application, and is non-refundable. The enforcement fee is payable on grant of a licence. We will not grant a licence until the enforcement fee is paid.

If you renew more than one licensable activity at the same time, you only need to pay the application and enforcement fee once. You can then pay a £50 fee for each additional activity.

If you do this, the higher application or enforcement fee will apply as the main activity, and the lower priced activity will be charged at the additional £50 fee.

This only applies when you apply for or renew all licences at the same time. If you don’t apply at the same time, you will need to pay the separate application and enforcement fees for each activity.

Additional fees for these licences

• Application for re-rating or major variation - £140
• Minor variation - £20
• Additional copy of licence - £6.90

Length of licence

Keeping or training animals for exhibition licences are granted for three years.  These licences do not have a star rating.

Statutory guidance

Defra has issued guidance for the animal activity licensing process and specific guidance for keeping or training animals for exhibition:

• Animal activity licensing process statutory guidance
• Keeping or training animals for exhibition licensing statutory guidance

We are legally required to use the above guidance when making our licensing decisions. This will include their mandatory conditions, which we have to include in your licence. 

The guidance contains explanatory guidance for each mandatory condition, which we also must consider when determining your application and assessing compliance with the licence conditions.

Licensed businesses in Rushmoor

We do not currently have any businesses in Rushmoor licensed for keeping or training animals for exhibition.