Additional guidance notes for zoos and scientific institutions applying
Article 60 certificates
You should read these guidance notes together with the general guidance notes for importers and
exporters (GN1),
These notes are only for guidance and are not a full statement of the law. If you need points of law to be explained, you should get independent legal advice.
This page is available as a downloadable document here 
- Introduction
- Use of Article 60 certificates
- Who can apply
- Making an application
- Expired Article 60 certificates
- Inspections
- Specimens covered
- Additional Information Required
- Minimum Standards
- Annex 1 Guidance to completing application form FED 1012
- Annex 2 Additional Information Required
Introduction
Article 60 of Commission Regulation EC 865/2006 allows EU countries to issue a certificate to individual scientific institutions so that the various prohibitions on commercial use set out in Article 8(1) of EC Regulation 338/97 do not apply to them. This certificate may be granted only to those scientific institutions where specified Annex A specimens are intended for breeding or artificial propagation which will benefit the conservation of the species, or for research or education aimed at the preservation or conservation of the species.
‘Commercial use’ covers buying, offering to buy for commercial purposes, exchange, commercial loan, displaying to the public for commercial purposes, use for commercial gain and sale, keeping for sale, offering for sale or transporting for sale as well as the actual sale of the specimens of species listed in Annex A of EC Regulation 318-2008. We will consider all applications on a casebycase basis, but this certificate will not cover specimens that are to be used for primarily commercial purposes.
Use of Article 60 certificates
As outlined above, this certificate may be granted to scientific institutions to cover all specimens of Annex A species in their collection that are intended for:
- captive breeding or artificial propagation, from which conservation benefits will accrue to the species; and/or
- research or education that is aimed at the preservation or conservation of the species.
An Article 60 certificate will allow any of the Annex A specimens covered, to be sold to, or exchanged with, other scientific institutions holding an Article 60 certificate, without the need to apply for separate individual certificates. It is important to understand that they are only valid for transactions within the EU and only between holders of Article 60 certificates. The certificate is only intended to cover those Annex A specimens in the collection that contribute to breeding, research or education programmes aimed at the long term protection or recovery of the affected species. Any Annex A specimens held by an institution that are used for the primary purpose of economic benefit or profit, including commercial breeding, will still require individual certificates issued under Article 10. If you intend to trade specimens with non Article 60 holders, this will also require an additional Article 10 certificate.
An Article 60 certificate does not exempt you from needing CITES permits if you wish to import or (re) export specimens to countries outside the EU.
In addition, it will not affect any restriction on the movement of live Annex A specimens within the EU under Article 9 of Council Regulation EC 338/97, nor will it affect any other restriction that may have been imposed on the specimen, nor exempt you from obtaining licences required under other legislation, for example the Dangerous Wild Animals Act, the Zoo Licensing Act, or the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
Who can apply
Any zoo, museum, botanical garden or other scientific institution may apply to us for a certificate. To be granted one, you must be able to show that you are able to meet the requirements of Article 60 and are involved in one or more of the following activities:
- Breeding:
Institutions that are active participants of species management programmes and that have Annex A specimens in their collection that are used to support breeding programmes aimed at the long term protection or recovery of the affected species, may be eligible for an Article 60 certificate. You should be able to provide details of all the national, regional or international breeding programmes that you currently participate in, provide details of individual breeding successes, and demonstrate the institutions’ contribution to the overall conservation objectives of the species involved.
- Research:
Scientific institutions actively engaged in research involving Annex A species should be able to provide full details of the research programmes they are involved with including the title of each research project, its aims and objectives, methodologies employed, a list of scientific papers which have been written resulting from the work in the past 5 years, and the conservation benefits arising from the work. You should also list any other people, research bodies or organisations that are involved collaboratively with your research programme and the extent of your own institution’s participation.
- Education:
Scientific institutions that have Annex A specimens on display to the public must have a written education strategy and an active education programme aimed at the conservation of the species if they wish to be eligible for an Article 60 certificate. Accurate information about the specimens exhibited must be available at the point of display or elsewhere at the venue, with suitable facilities available for education purposes. Educational material should, where possible, be linked to National Curricula. Methods of interpretation for visitors to the zoo should be tailored to the target audience and include signs, graphics, activities, interactive displays and demonstrations. This should include, as a minimum, the species name (both scientific and common), its natural habitat, some of its biological characteristics and details of its conservation status. All Annex A specimens on display to the public and intended to be covered by the Article 60 certificate must be presented in a manner to preclude the use of such specimens for decoration, trophies or other purposes incompatible with the principles of Article 60. Details of any involvement in education courses which are linked to species conservation and which lead to accredited qualifications should also be provided.
Further details of what information you need to provide with your application can be found in Annex 2.
Making an application
All applications require an application form. These forms (FED 1012) are available either from the Enquiries Desk or from our website. It is the responsibility of the applicant to supply all the information required to process your application, so you should fill in as much of the information as you can. The application forms are a signed legal declaration by you that the information is correct.
The more information you are able to supply to us, the quicker your application will be processed. This should include a full inventory of the Annex A specimens which you wish to be covered by the Article 60 certificate, together with details of their origin, and any identifying markings. It is not our responsibility to pursue information on your behalf. If there is not enough information, it is possible that your application may be refused.
All Annex A animals must be permanently marked. For birds this usually means a uniquely marked closed ring. Closed rings are continuous bands without any break. Where a bird does not have a closed ring and for other live animals they must be marked by a microchip that complies with ISO Standards 11784:1996 and 11785:1998 (E).
All applications are referred for assessment to our scientific advisors: the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) for animals, and the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew for plants. It is possible they will ask further questions about your application or require additional information.
If you are granted a certificate you will also be required to keep a record of all transactions between yourselves and other Article 60 Certificate holders, and make them available to us or to the enforcement authorities, when requested.
Expired Article 30/60 certificates
All Article 60 certificates are issued with an expiry date. If you are applying to renew a certificate that is due to expire or has expired, you must fill in a new application form (FED 1012) and supply details of the following:
- · All Annex A specimens that you wish to be covered by the Article 60 and for which you haven’t previously provided details
- · All the transactions that have taken place between you and other Article 30/60 certificate holders under the terms of the previous certificate.
- · An update on the conservation programmes you are involved in. Applications should be made 3 months before the certificate is due to expire, to allow time for your application to be processed and to ensure there is no gap in coverage.
Inspections
The Wildlife Inspectorate may carry out inspections to check information submitted as part of an application for an Article 60 certificate, and to check compliance with the terms of the certificate once it has been issued. Sometimes Inspectors will contact holders to make arrangements for a visit; sometimes visits will be unannounced.
The purpose of the inspection will be to collect information to ascertain whether the institution meets the purpose of Article 60. The Inspector will need to see the Annex A specimens and may require live specimens to be caught up to verify the information supplied. The Inspector may also need to obtain certain information from the holder’s records.
Specimens covered
If your institution meets all the relevant conditions, we will send you a certificate covering all of the Annex A specimens in your collection that are intended for breeding, research or education aimed at species preservation or conservation. As previously indicated, any Annex A specimens that are used for primarily commercial purposes will still require individual certificates issued under Article 10. Unless otherwise stated through the special conditions, the certificate will also apply to any Annex A specimens subsequently acquired.
The certificate will not apply to live cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), or to specimens that were obtained illegally.
Additional Information required
1. Institution details.
- Brief statement of the nature and the purpose of the institution;
- How long it has been established;
- Details of the licence issued to you under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 if applicable;
- List of all Annex A specimens presently held in your collection and intended to be covered by the Article 60 exemption, including all ring, tattoo and microchip numbers and origin details, i.e. wild taken, captivebred, F1, unknown.
- Provide samples of records for at least 5 of the Annex A specimens held in your collection which are intended to be covered by the Article 60 certificate and explain what system of permanent record keeping you have.
2. Breeding details.
- Provide details of the Annex A specimens held by the institution which are used in breeding programmes where conservation is the primary objective.
- Explain how your institution contributes to the long term protection or recovery of the species concerned.
- Provide details of any International Species Management Programmes in which you participate.
- Provide details of any European / National breeding programmes or any others in which you participate .
- Confirm if you are you represented on, or you have any links with, any of the following
groups:
- Taxon Advisory Groups (TAGs)
- Captive Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG);
- European Endangered species breeding Programme (EEP).
- If your organisation maintains species registered in studbooks and reports regularly to the studbook keeper, please give name of species & studbook keeper.
- Provide details of any other breeding register or coordinated breeding programme with which you are affiliated.
- Provide details of past success in breeding any of the Annex A species maintained in the collection, and future breeding intentions, including details of the conservation benefits that are expected to accrue to the species concerned.
- Provide details of what generally happens to the offspring. [For example, are they maintained in the collection, sold to other breeders, exchanged to improve bloodline, used/released in an officially sanctioned reintroduction programme etc.]
3. Research details.
- Outline the primary objectives of the institution’s research programme(s).
- Indicate which Annex A species and specimens held by your institution, are (or have been), the subject of research, outlining the main aims and objectives of individual projects, methodologies employed and any conservation benefits arising from the work.
- List any other collaborating organisations that are involved and whether they are CITES registered scientific institutions or Article 60 holders.
- Give titles of any research projects undertaken in the last five years and details of any relevant research grants that have been awarded.
- Indicate how the research has been used to further the conservation of the species concerned.
- List any peer reviewed scientific papers which have been written in the last five years by your scientific institution which directly involved the Annex A specimens held in your collection and whether they were published.
- Provide summary curriculum vitae for the principal/relevant researchers.
4. Education details.
- Provide a detailed description of the educational programme and facilities available at your institution. Outline the nature and content of the programme and highlight any links to the National Curriculum.
- Clearly identify the target audience and how the educational facilities have been adapted to meet their needs.
- Identify those Annex A species acquired for educational display purposes and outline how your education programme contributes to the conservation of the species.
- Provide examples of associated interpretative material e.g. leaflets, worksheets, explanatory notes for teachers etc.
- Provide details if you are part of any accredited education course that leads to a recognised qualification.
- List the qualifications or training that those staff engaged in educational activities have undergone.
Minimum Standards
The minimum standards expected of scientific institutions holding an Article 60 certificate
(as agreed by the EU Scientific Review Group) are as follows:
- Collections of live or dead animal or plant specimens, and records ancillary to them, permanently housed and professionally curated;
- All accessions properly and permanently recorded;
- Permanent records maintained for loans and transfers to other institutions holding an Article 60 certificate;
- Specimens acquired under the terms of the Article 60 are primarily for purposes of captivebreeding or artificial propagation from which conservation benefits will accrue to the species, or for research aimed at the preservation or conservation of the species that is to be reported in scientific publication, or for purposes of education aimed at the conservation of the species;
- live specimens must be housed in accommodation that is adequately equipped to conserve and care for it properly;
- museum and herbarium specimens must be prepared and collections arranged in a manner that ensure their utility;
- all live Annex A animal specimens covered by the Article 60 certificate should be permanently marked with a uniquely identifying microchip, closed ring, tag or tattoo, etc. unless this is against veterinary advice, in accordance with Chapter XVI of Regulation (EC) No.865/2006;
- acquisition and possession of specimens accord with the laws of the State in which the scientific institution is located; and
- the certificate only covers those specimens of species included in Annex A centrally housed under the direct control of the scientific institution, and managed in a manner to preclude the use of such specimens for decoration, trophies or other purposes incompatible with the principles of Article 60.
Page last modified:08 January 2008
Page published:31 January 2008