Belarus has introduced mandatory registration for facilities keeping and breeding wild animals. This decision is contained in Resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 255 of March 29, as reported to BELTA by the government's press service.
Belarus has introduced mandatory registration for facilities keeping and breeding wild animals. This decision is contained in Resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 255 of March 29, as reported to BELTA by the government's press service.
According to the document, Belarus has adopted a new regulation on the procedure and conditions for the registration of facilities keeping and/or breeding wild animals. This has been done in connection with amendments to the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On the Animal World," which introduced a new concept – a facility for keeping and breeding wild animals. As explained by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, such facilities include all hunting enclosures, temporary holding enclosures, and facilities used for fur farming, animal husbandry, poultry farming, and fish farming. "Previously, we did not register them, but now this will become a mandatory norm," explained the environmental protection agency.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection noted that the procedure for registering wild animals has been changed. "Previously, we only registered species listed in the Red Book and species regulated by the CITES convention. Now, we will register all indigenous animals for the removal of which a permit from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection is required. This means we will have stricter control over animals kept in captivity," the ministry emphasized.
Resolution No. 255 amends the rules for the capture and harvesting of wild animals not classified as game or fish, such as snails and crayfish. Obtaining the right to harvest such animals has become easier – the decision to grant this right is now made by district executive committees, rather than councils of deputies, as was the case previously.
The resolution comes into force on June 30, 2016.