FOI Request - Dog Breeding Licence Protocols

Request 101003327441

Dog breeding licence protocols
1.  What is the current process for a constituent applying for a breeding licence? For example, is it possible to apply online, by phone, or by completing an application form? Please provide any relevant links or details.
2.  What is the price charged for a new breeding licence?
3.  What is the price charged for the renewal of a breeding licence?
4.   How many applications for a new licence have been received in the last 5 years? (broken down by year)
5.  How many applications for a licence renewal have been received in the last 5 years? (broken down by year)
6.  How many new licences have been granted as a result of an application made in the last 5 years? (broken down by year)
7. How many licences have been renewed as a result of an application made in the last 5 years? (broken down by year)
8.  If appropriate, please provide the grounds on which any licence (new or renewal) was refused.
9.  Of the list of approved licenced breeders, please confirm the number of staff and qualifications of staff employed by each private licence holder. We are not requesting any personal details of individual staff, just the number employed by each licence holder and their qualifications.
10.  How many staff members within the authority are responsible for enforcing licencing regulations and what are their roles and responsibilities relating specifically to dog breeding licenses? We are not requesting any personal details of individual staff, just the job title and the roles and responsibilities of that position (usually outlined in a role of job description)
11. What is the process/protocol that the authority takes for issuing a licence? For example, is there an inspection and report, and if so, please share the policy or protocol documents produced by your authority, or alternatively outline this process in your response.
12.  If you conduct an inspection, what information do you collect for a report? For example, name, gender, microchip numbers, etc. Please list any information categories collected.
13. What is the process/protocol for responding to a report of a breach of licensing regulation? And what is the process of dealing with a suspected breach? For example, is there an inspection, report, warning, or termination of the licence notification, court proceedings?
14.  Do you keep a database of reports on suspected licensing breaches? If yes, please share the number of reports you have received for suspected licensing breaches.
15. What conditions or scenarios warrant a termination of a license?
16. If a breeder buys or sells a breeding dog during the period of an issued licence, do you require them to notify you of the change at the time of the sale/purchase of the dog, or are records only updated at the time of the renewal application?
17. What steps, if any, do you take to ensure that each breeder complies with The Microchipping of Dogs (England) 2015 regulations?
18.  How many staff were employed to conduct inspections during in the last 5 years? (broken down by year)
19. How many inspections were conducted during in the last 5 years? (broken down by year)
20. How many litters were produced (and how many puppies in each litter) by each licence holder in the last 5 years? (broken down by year)
21. If you keep records of Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme members, please confirm which licence holders are also members of this scheme.
22.  Has any licence been revoked or suspended in the last 5 years? (broken down by year) If so, please provide details of the licence holder and the reason for revocation or suspension.
23. How many complaints have you received in the last 5 years? (broken down by year), and which licence holder(s) have been complained about?
24. Where a complaint has resulted in enforcement action, please confirm what enforcement action was taken and the name of the licence holder (or refer to answer above if details already provided in relation to revocation or suspension of licence

Response 23-06-2023

1. You can apply online for a Dog Breeding Licence and also by sending it by post.  The application is available on Moray Council's website both in PDF and Word Format.  I attach link to our website  http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_96455.html  .       

2. The fee is £183 plus vet fees if required which are variable.   You can make payment by card by phoning 01343 563456 or by bank transfer - Sort Code 80-06-66, Account Number 00111513, Bank of Scotland, 90 High Street, Elgin.  

3. The price is the same for both new and renewal as it is to do with the consultation process.

4. 

5.

6.

7.

8. Not applicable

9. Not held. Information that is not held falls under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.

10. We have two animal health officers that within their job description deal with inspecting Dog Breeding establishments. Model standards are used as an inspection aide memoir. This inspection as well as a report from the contract vet is feedback up to our licensing department in the form of a consultation.

11. Licence application form coming into licensing department. Animal Health consultation requested. Inspection completed by animal health and consultation confirming recommendation of grant or refusal of licence. A contract vet also supplies a report when required for the consultation. Police Scotland are also a consultee together with our Development Department. They respond with a grant or refusal.  If there is an objection/representation then it goes to Committee to decide.

12. During an inspection compliance to the licence conditions are checked. The initial inspection for applying for a dog breeding licence is that the applicant needs to record the following details:-

Bitch name,
Microchip details,
DOB,
Home address,
Breed,
Vet treatments also required to be recorded but not necessarily at that inspection.
Number of litters,
Mating dog details,
DOB of pups,
Sex and colour of pups,
Number in litter.

This information is inspected rather than routinely collected. Information gathered is recorded into the database.

13. A service request is created with the details of the breeder and allegations. The animal officer will either make contact or visit the breeding establishment and conduct an inspection of both paperwork and physical conditions. Officer's notes are recorded under the service request number associated with the establishment. If required a warning can be given either verbally or written depending on findings. This would then be followed up by a revisit or evidence of compliance. If a revisit inspection does not meet regulation requirements then a discussion with department management would determine further options of enforcement action. Termination of licence is not dealt with by the animal health team and would be a decision by our licensing team. Depending on the breach would also determine if either licensing or the animal health team would look at submitting a report to the Procurator Fiscal.

14. We record any suspected licence breaches within our main database as a service request under the licence premises code. We currently have 0 (nil) reports of suspected licence breaches.

15. A sufficiently serious breach of the licence conditions or the licence holder does something which means they are no longer fit to hold a licence for that activity.

16. The Licence holder is required to update their own records with the new dog/ bitch. As long as the change does not contravene the licence conditions on number of bitches then the information will be picked up at time of next inspection or renewal.

17. Part of Licence Conditions - see attached link   http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_103859.html
Licence holder is required to keep record of each puppy sale including microchip number.
These records are inspection as part of the routine dog breeding visit.

18. 

19. 

20. Not held. We do not routinely record this information. The information is available to inspect from the licence holder and when animal health officers are conducting an inspection they are checking that the licence holder is compliant to their specific licence condition such as number of bitches and litters had. Information that is not held falls under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.

21. Not held. We do record this information. Information that is not held falls under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.

22. No. None in the last 5 years.

23. 

These are the number of complaints about ‘dog breeding’. However, none of these are related to registered dog breeders in Moray.