A new qualification launched in Wales aims to bring greater professionalism, consistency and animal welfare awareness to businesses involved in selling pets.
Developed by awarding organisation VetSkill in partnership with training provider Animal Focused, the VTEC Level 3 Award in the Licensing of Selling Animals as Pets is designed for licensing officers who inspect and approve premises where animals are sold. The qualification responds to the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Wales) Regulations 2021, which govern activities such as breeding, boarding and selling pets.
According to VetSkill, the programme ensures that those responsible for assessing pet-sales businesses have the knowledge and confidence to apply welfare standards fairly and effectively. The first group of licensing officers in Wales have reportedly already completed the training in a step being broadly seen as key to improving consistency in licensing decisions and promoting animal welfare across the sector.
While this initiative currently applies only in Wales, it will be interesting to see whether a similar model could be introduced elsewhere in the UK if it proves successful. For retailers, such a move could help create a clearer and more consistent licensing landscape nationwide.
Here at Johnsons Veterinary Products, we have been caring for the nation’s pets for more than a century, and welcome any development that helps strengthen animal welfare standards and professionalism across the pet industry.
We sincerely hope that this move will strike a meaningful balance between improving standards and creating a framework that encourages specialist pet shops and stores who sell animals in store to inspire more responsible pet ownership.
We’ll be watching with interest to see how this scheme develops and what benefits it may bring to our customers and their businesses.
