Zoo Association welcomes EU-UK SPS agreement

BIAZA, the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums, welcomes closer ties between the EU and UK which may make the movement of animals across international borders easier, but the Association calls for more clarity.  

Dr Jo Judge, the CEO of BIAZA commented:  

“Today’s news of a Sanitary-Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement between the EU and UK is much welcomed. Since 2019 the divergence of animal health regulations has made it incredibly difficult for zoo and aquarium species to be moved between the UK and EU. As a result, we have seen a drop of 80% in these transfers, seriously damaging critical international conservation breeding efforts for hundreds of species, from orangutans to Sumatran tigers.  

Over the past five years the BIAZA team has been working non-stop to help our member zoos and aquariums manage this challenge; from protracted paperwork, to lobbying Ministers.  

We very much hope that the SPS agreement will ease the many challenges our zoos and aquariums face. However, we have yet to have confirmation that this will be the case. It is essential that the conservation work that make our zoos and aquariums such world-leaders, is not forgotten by the UK and EU governments.  

We look forward to working with Government to get much needed clarity for our zoo and aquarium members, big and small.” 

Jamie Christon, Chair of BIAZA commented: "As CEO of Chester Zoo and chair of British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), I know colleagues across the country will be relieved by the announcement that the UK and EU will be working towards a SPS veterinary agreement.

Since 2021, conservation animal transfers between the UK and EU have fallen by 80% - a major threat to the international breeding programmes that are essential to preventing extinction and protecting global biodiversity.

This is an important step forward. Over the coming months, we’ll continue to highlight the urgent need to remove the unnecessary barriers that are hindering our vital conservation work.

While the initial details look positive, we now look forward to working with the Government to ensure conservation is fully recognised in the future agreement - enabling smoother cross-border movements, harmonised certification, and easing the administrative burden for zoos and aquariums on both sides of the Channel."