Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Members of the public who are considering purchasing a live animal, should be aware under the above act they must comply with the following FIVE welfare conditions.
1) Provide a suitable Environment
2) Provide a suitable Diet
3) Allow the animal to exhibit normal Behaviour Patterns
4) Allow the animal to be kept with or apart (depending on the species) from other animals.
5) Protect the animal from, Pain, Suffering, Injury and Disease. Ensuring prompt veterinary treatment for sickness or injury, and taking preventative measures to maintain good health.
CITES
Please be aware that as of 23rd June 2026, the following 3 x captive-bred Mediterranean tortoise species will be added to CITES GB Annex X:
- Testudo graeca
- Testudo hermanni
- Testudo marginata.
This change will remove the need for Article 10 certificates from 23rd June onwards for captive bred specimens of these species, and hybrids thereof.
This means when the above species, Mediteranean Spur Thighed, Marginated and Hermann’s tortoises, are offered for sale within Great Britain (England and Wales) there will no longer be any requirement for Article 10 Certificates to be provided by the seller. This has always been the situation with Horsfields tortoises.