Pets are more than just cats and dogs! A broad range of animals happily share our homes. And we want to keep it that way!
There are growing calls from anti-pet-keeping organisations to introduce a positive/permitted list of pets across the UK. It’s effectively a pet ban by another name.
That’s why we want fishkeepers – and the businesses that support them – to highlight our Say No To Pet Bans message during the 2026 elections in Scotland and Wales. Find out how at the bottom of this page.
You can find an example of this type of campaign happening in Scotland here.
These groups want to create a list of animal species that can be kept as pets.
And if your pet animal isn’t on that list then you would no longer be able to keep, breed or sell that animal.
They say it’s because certain pets – which they often characterise as ‘exotic’ – means people can’t look after them properly. But we know that’s not true.
They say these so-called exotic pets are ‘wild animals’ to try to scare us into thinking they shouldn’t share our homes. But pet fish like goldfish and guppies, reptiles like tortoises, birds like budgies, or small mammals like chinchillas are not wild animals – that’s just nonsense!
They say it’s to tackle issues around animal welfare. Unfortunately, there can be animal welfare issues with all pets, but no calls to ban access to certain breeds of dogs and cats, for example.
We are a coalition of keeper groups and trade associations which represent the people who keep a wide range of pets and animals, such as reptiles, amphibians, fish, aviary birds (eg canaries, budgerigars, finches), psittacines (eg parrots) fancy rats and raptors (eg hawks). We are asking political parties to:
- Reject calls to ban access to certain pets through positive/permitted lists.
- Introduce a licensing and inspection scheme for animal rescue charities as soon as possible.
- Enshrine in law the advertising standards of the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (www.paag.org.uk)
- Support the sale of animals through licensed pet shops, rather than online.
We believe education not pet bans are the key to happier and healthier pets, and their owners.
Help us to spread the word to politicians that they should say no to pet bans and positive lists and look at ways to improve pet owner education.
What you can do
If you want to support our campaign during the Scottish and Welsh elections in May 2026 here’s what you can do.
Some ideas on what to ask if candidates come door-knocking
We want prospective parliamentary candidates who want your vote to understand the reality of what it means if they support calls for positive lists/permitted lists of pets. We need them to understand these limiting lists could ban certain pets, like fish, from our homes.
Fish are often the forgotten pet, even though they are the most populous pet in the UK. So we want prospective politicians to understand the important part they play in our lives. We want you to tell them what it’s like to keep fish.
Why not ask them where they stand on these issues?
Do they support pet bans? Ask them what their party’s stand is on positive/permitted lists for pets. Ask them to support better owner education over pet bans.
What’s their position on so-called ‘exotic pets’? Do they realise that includes the UK’s most populous pet – fish?
This campaign is produced on behalf of The Hawk Board, The Federation of British Herpetologists, The National Council of Aviculture, The Parrot Society, The National Fancy Rat Society, Raptor Breeders UK, Responsible Reptile Keeping, Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association, Tropical Fish Keeping UK, Reptile and Exotic Pet Trade Association.
