# Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species, Article 31: Transitional provisions for non-commercial owners

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.

1. By way of derogation from points (b) and (d) of Article 7(1), and, in relation to introduction into Great Britain from Northern Ireland, point (a) of Article 7(1), owners of companion animals not kept for commercial purposes that belong to the invasive alien species included on the list of species of special concern shall be allowed to keep them until the end of the animals' natural life, provided the following conditions are met:
(a) the animals were kept before their inclusion on the list of species of special concern;
(b) the animals are kept in contained holding and all appropriate measures are put in place to ensure that reproduction or escape are not possible.
2. The responsible authorities shall take all reasonable steps to inform non-commercial owners of the risks posed by keeping the animals referred to in paragraph 1 and of the measures to be taken to minimise the risk of reproducing and escaping through awareness-raising and education programmes organised by the responsible authorities.
3. Non-commercial owners who cannot ensure that the conditions set out in paragraph 1 are met, shall not be permitted to keep the animals concerned. The responsible authorities may offer them the possibility of having their animals taken from them. Where this occurs, due regard to animal welfare shall be given.
4. The animals referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article may be kept by the establishments referred to in Article 8 or in facilities established by the responsible authorities for that purpose.
5. The references to “establishments” and “facilities” in paragraph 4 of this Article include establishments and facilities permitted or established (as the case may be) in Scotland by the Scottish Ministers for that purpose.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2014/1143/article/31 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-2014-1143/article-31
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.