Overview

Introduction

We are launching this consultation to seek your views on the Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain (‘the Standards’). The Standards will replace the Secretary of State’s Standards of Modern Zoo Practice (2012) in England and Scotland, and the National Assembly of Wales’ Standards of Modern Zoo Practice (2006) in Wales. Because zoo licensing is a devolved matter, this is a joint consultation on behalf of the Welsh Government and the Scottish Government.

The Standards have been drafted for zoo licence holders, zoo operators and zoo staff; zoo inspectors; and Local Authorities. They contain specialist, technical requirements for different species and zoo types, based on expert advice provided by the UK Zoos Expert Committee and a wide range of industry experts.

The Government wants to ensure that British zoos remain at the forefront of conservation efforts. We have proposed, via the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, to set conservation requirements in the Standards. We wish to seek views on the new sections on conservation, education and research that will only come into force subject to the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill being enacted.

We also wish to ensure that the Standards remain standards of ‘modern zoo practice’. The Standards have been updated to reflect updates in best practice on the keeping of wild animals in captivity. As part of the revisions, we have proposed an end to activities that are no longer considered appropriate in a modern zoo, such as the tethering of birds of prey as a long-term management practice; the use of live vertebrate prey as animal feed; and touch pools.  

The Government takes the safety of the public very seriously. We have proposed tougher requirements that aim to protect the public and prevent future fatalities caused by dangerous wild animals in zoos.

The Standards have been redrafted to make them clearer to aid compliance and enforcement and to improve consistency between zoos and inspectors in interpreting and applying the requirements.

We will provide additional guidance to Local Authorities and zoo inspectors on applying and enforcing the Standards.

How and why we are consulting

This consultation sets out our proposals and asks for views on them. The consultation also asks for views on the practicalities, impacts and potential costs of the new requirements.

The survey comprises 24 pages and 75 questions; however, you will be skipped through certain pages/questions depending on your responses. There is space at the end of the survey for you to voice anything extra that you would like to tell us. 

If you would like to give us more detailed information on the costs and impacts of meeting these Standards, please complete the excel sheet found on the bottom of this page under the ‘Related documents’ heading. While this is optional, we encourage you to provide as much detail on costs and impacts as you can. This will ensure that our post-consultation impact assessment is based on a strong evidence base.

We are targeting this consultation towards relevant individuals and organisations in Great Britain, including all licensed zoos; zoo inspectors; Local Authorities; those welfare groups with an interest and expertise in zoos; and the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA).

How to respond

• You can find a copy of the new Standards at the bottom of this page under the 'Related documents' heading. 
• You can also find a copy of the 'cost and impacts' excel sheet under the 'Related documents' heading. Please download the excel sheet and, when you have filled it in, upload the completed version on Page 23 of the Online Survey. 
• Please submit your consultation response online by clicking the 'Online Survey' button at the end of this page.
• Responses should be received by Tuesday 21 June 2022. This is a 16-week consultation.

Alternatively:

• If you require a hard copy of this consultation, please address your request to: Consultation Coordinator, Defra 2nd Floor, Foss House, Kings Pool, 1-2 Peasholme Green, York, YO1 7PX. Or email: consultation.coordinator@defra.gov.uk
• If you require a PDF copy of this consultation, please find this on the very bottom of this page under the 'Related documents' heading and you can email your response to: Zoos.branch@defra.gov.uk

Background

Relevant laws relating to zoos in Great Britain

The Zoo Licensing Act 1981 (‘the 1981 Act’) regulates zoos in England, Scotland, and Wales. All establishments licensed under the 1981 Act are expected to meet the Secretary of State’s Standards of Modern Zoo Practice (2012) in England and Scotland, and the National Assembly of Wales’ Standards of Modern Zoo Practice (2006) in Wales.

We have proposed, via the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill), to repeal section 1A (conservation measures) of the 1981 Act and to set requirements on conservation, education, and research in the Standards. We can update these requirements more often if they are contained within the Standards, ensuring British zoos remain at the forefront of global conservation efforts.

Section 9 of the 1981 Act allows the Secretary of State, and equivalent Ministers in Scotland and Wales, to set standards with respect to the management of zoos and the animals in them. The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill will make it a requirement for zoos to comply with the Standards specified under Section 9.

The 1981 Act covers anyone keeping wild animals and exhibiting them to the public for seven days or more in a twelve-month period, with the exception of wild animals displayed in pet shops and circuses. Under the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, the Government is proposing to remove the exemption for circuses.   

Enforcement

Local Authorities are responsible for enforcing the 1981 Act and the Standards. At present, Local Authorities only have to ‘have regard’ to the Standards when considering conditions on zoo licences. This means that some zoos may only have to comply with some elements of the Standards, or none at all.

In addition, the requirements in the Secretary of State’s Standards of Modern Zoo Practice (2012) have been criticised for being vague and ambiguous, which has led to wide inconsistencies in interpreting and applying them.

Our intention is to improve enforcement of zoo standards through the reforms in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill. The reforms will ensure that each zoo has on its licence a condition to comply with the Standards. A Local Authority must refuse a new licence if it is satisfied that any of the standards will not be met.

Failure to meet a standard will constitute a breach of the zoo licence. In such cases, the Local Authority must issue an enforcement direction to the licence holder. Failure to comply with a direction within the specified timeframe may lead to part or full closure of the zoo and further legal proceedings.

Consultation confidentiality

If you click on ‘Yes’ in response to the question asking if you would like anything in your response to be kept confidential, you are asked to state clearly what information you would like to be kept as confidential and explain your reasons for confidentiality. The reason for this is that information in responses to this consultation may be subject to release to the public or other parties in accordance with the access to information law (these are primarily the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIRs), the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA)). We have obligations, mainly under the EIRs, FOIA and DPA, to disclose information to particular recipients or to the public in certain circumstances. In view of this, your explanation of your reasons for requesting confidentiality for all or part of your response would help us balance these obligations for disclosure against any obligation of confidentiality. If we receive a request for the information that you have provided in your response to this consultation, we will take full account of your reasons for requesting confidentiality of your response, but we cannot guarantee that confidentiality can be maintained in all circumstances.

If you click on ‘No’ in response to the question asking if you would like anything in your response to be kept confidential, we will be able to release the content of your response to the public, but we won’t make your personal name and private contact details publicly available.

The excel sheet accompanying this consultation aims to capture additional, but anonymised, information on costs and impacts. While this optional, we encourage you to provide as much detail on costs and impacts as you can. This will ensure our post-consultation impact assessment is based on a stronger evidence base and captures all relevant impacts. You can request a privacy notice for this excel sheet by emailing Zoos.branch@defra.gov.uk.

There may be occasions when Defra will share the information you provide in response to the consultation, including any personal data with external analysts. This is for the purposes of consultation response analysis and provision of a report of the summary of responses only.

This consultation is being conducted in line with the Cabinet Office “Consultation Principles” which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consultation-principles-guidance.

If you have any comments or complaints about the consultation process, please address them to:

Consultation Coordinator, Defra 2nd Floor, Foss House, Kings Pool, 1-2 Peasholme Green, York, YO1 7PX Or email: consultation.coordinator@defra.gov.uk