BIAZA Blog: Strengthened regulation is good for the zoo sector

BIAZA has always had a role in pushing for improvements to the zoo sector. CEO Dr Jo Judge reacts to the latest Zoo Standards which underpin licensing in the UK.

The new Zoo Standards are some of the most significant changes for the zoo community in decades. Across its 173 pages it goes into immense detail on everything from chopping boards to walk-throughs. As the backbone of zoo licensing this important document will impact the operation of zoos and aquariums for a generation.  

The zoo sector has never been afraid of changing nor of regulation. The zoo sector, through BIAZA, pushed for the landmark original 1981 zoo licensing legislation and our modern zoos are completely unrecognisable since its introduction. 

Far from an exercise in bureaucracy, zoo licensing has been incredibly important. It has the foundation upon which BIAZA standards are built, going above and beyond. And zoo licensing provides consumer and business confidence – everyone, including the public, knows where they stand. We believe the new standards are some of the most rigorous zoo licensing standards in the world – certainly the zoo sector is one of the most heavily regulated sectors in Britain.  

BIAZA and its members have played an important role in shaping these new standards, responding in detail to each phase of the consultation, working closely with Defra to ensure the requirements are as practical and impactful as possible, ensuring that animal welfare remains at the heart of zoo standards. 

These standards have been promised for a long time and it has taken a huge amount of work to reach this point. Following an initial consultation response, BIAZA collated hundreds of pages of comments and suggestions to submit on behalf of all our members. We are delighted that so many of these have been taken on board. BIAZA spoke to many politicians about the standards and what it might mean for license holders in their constituencies. And we’ve used our meetings with Defra officials to press the urgency of publication.  

Now the real work will begin as we, and the entire sector, take time to digest the new standards. We are very confident that our members, through adhering to BIAZA standards (demonstrated through our world-class accreditation programme), can be assured they already achieve the majority of these new standards.  

As well as sifting through what the standards mean for our members, we would like assurances that Local Authority Zoo Inspectors will be sufficiently trained and supported to carry out and enforce zoo licensing in a consistent manner. The Standards include a vast number of new and detailed legislative requirements but without proper capacity, training and resource, this will be extremely difficult for Local Authorities to enforce. So, we will be lobbying Defra for robust processes of support and training, not just for the Local Authority inspectors but for the Secretary of State Zoo Inspectors too.  

So, what can you expect from BIAZA? Well over the next few weeks we will be providing much more detail on the standards, producing a guide to our existing resources and, in the longer term, developing new resources that will enable you to reach the new standards, and of course we have our much-anticipated annual conference at Jimmy’s Farm which will include a special message from the Zoo Minister and a presentation on what the new standards mean for you.  

This week is Love Your Zoo Week and if the maelstrom of the zoo standards launch has reminded me of anything, it’s how inspiring and progressive the zoo sector is. We will never stop in representing the entire membership – from the smallest to the largest, whether they are an aquarium, safari park or zoo.