The activities of the Regional State Administrative Agencies will end at the end the year 2025. Most of our tasks will be transferred to the new Finnish Supervisory Agency, which will launch its operations on 1 January 2026. Tasks related to animal health and welfare and to food will be transferred to the Finnish Food Authority. Competition and consumer administration tasks will be transferred to the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority.
Read more: Reform of regional state administration
If you are planning to set up a petting zoo or you have animal-assisted activities, you must submit a notification of the activities to us.
When keeping animals, you must comply with the Animal Welfare Act and all other valid regulations.
You must submit the notification in the following cases:
1. You engage in regular sales or other giving away of pet and hobby animals or trade in such animals as follows:
a. You sell or otherwise give away cats, dogs, ferrets or rabbits from a litter that you have reared yourself, at least three times each year.
b. You sell, otherwise give away or supply each year at least ten cats, dogs, ferrets or rabbits that you have not reared yourself.
c. You sell or otherwise give away at least six horses or other equine animals each year.
d. You engage in similar activities with small pet and hobby animal species when the animals are provided with at least seven cages, terrariums or aquariums on a regular basis.
2. You engage in large-scale keeping of pet and hobby animals as follows:
a. you have at least seven dogs, cats or ferrets aged over six months
b. you have at least seven equine animals aged over 12 months
c. you have at least ten rabbits aged over six months, or
d. you have small pet and hobby animals so that the animals are provided with at least 20 cages, terrariums or aquariums on a regular basis.
3. You keep in care, storage or training at least six dogs or cats, simultaneously and on a regular basis.
4. When you rent or receive for storage, care or training race or riding horses or other equine animals. Or if you provide teaching in the use and handling of such animals and if you keep at least six animals, simultaneously and on a regular basis.
5. You engage in the activities referred to in section 1, subsections b to c, section 2, subsections a to c, and in sections 3 and 4 that concern a total of at least 15 dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, horses or other equine animals.
6. You engage in other similar professional or large-scale keeping of pet and hobby animals as referred to in sections 1 to 5.
If you are starting professional or otherwise large-scale keeping of pet and hobby animals, here is what you should do:
Register of animal keepers and establishments
In addition to the general information on the planned activities, the notification must also contain the following details:
You must submit the notification least 30 days before you start your business.
We maintain a record of persons who keep animals and have submitted notifications to us. When we have inspected the notification, we can issue necessary regulations for the prevention of animal welfare hazards. If your activities do not meet the animal welfare requirements, we can ban you from exercising such activities. The municipal veterinarian supervises the adherence to animal welfare legislation.
Submitting a notification costs EUR 87.
Processing fee for notifications concerning petting farms costs EUR 175.
If there are changes in your activities, please notify us 30 days before the change or termination of activities.
