20 Dec 2023
The BVA and RSPCA have both welcomed plans for tougher rules, but say Defra must work with veterinary and zoological groups on how they are implemented.
Allister Webb
Job Title
The Government has been urged to seek veterinary and zoological expertise to ensure tighter rules on the keeping of primates as pets in England can be enforced.
Defra says new measures, to be introduced as secondary legislation under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, will prevent primates from being kept in environments that do not properly meet their needs.
A new regulatory framework, in which any remaining private keepers will need to be licensed by their local councils, is expected to come into force in 2026.
The measures have been described as “good news” by the BVA, which has also urged the devolved administrations to take similar action.
Its president, Anna Judson, said: “The BVA has been clear with the Government that the needs of primates are so complex they can rarely be met in a domestic environment.
“It is therefore vital that the proposed licensing system goes far enough and the ban is able to be properly enforced.
“We urge the Government to work closely with veterinary and zoological organisations to get this right and ensure the welfare of these animals isn’t comprised.”
Under the new measures, licences would remain valid for up to three years, with at least one inspection during that time. Licence holders would also need to be reassessed before any renewal is approved.
Newly appointed Defra minister Lord Douglas-Miller said: “It is already an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to keep a primate while not providing for their welfare needs or to cause them unnecessary suffering, and these plans will tighten the rules further.”
Ros Clubb, who heads the RSPCA’s wildlife department, said: “We hope this will put an end to the shocking situations we have seen – with monkeys cooped up in bird cages, fed fast food, sugary drinks or even class A drugs, deprived of companions of their own kind, living in dirt and squalor and suffering from disease.
“We look forward to working with the UK Government to ensure that the proposed licensing system can be adequately enforced and will be robust enough to effectively protect the welfare of primates that remain with private keepers until the end of their natural lives.”
