Melsop Farm Park fears closure due to licence issue

A rare breeds animal park said it could close for good unless a licensing issue with a Norfolk council gets resolved.

Melsop Farm Park in Scoulton, near Watton, said it was losing income after being forced to shut on 9 June.

It began applying for a zoo licence to show non-native species in 2019, but abandoned plans in May due to the ongoing cost.

Breckland Council said it was working with the farm park to resolve the issues.

The farm boasts 11 priority rare breeds, including a herd of Albion cattle. Its non-native species include wallabies, pelicans and 50 species of birds.

Park co-owner Jordan Stone said rules introduced in 2018 meant it needed to apply for a new licence to continue showing animals.

He said in 2019, when it brought in some non-native species, it began the process of applying for a zoo licence, but inspections were halted by coronavirus.

Mr Stone said the park decided in May the process was proving too expensive and it would no longer show the non-natives.

It then decided to submit an application for an exhibition licence, to continue showing British animals.

However, the park said it had to shut while the licence was considered.

Mr Stone said the future of the family-run attraction was now "incredibly uncertain", unless it was able to re-open soon and generate an income.

"Without urgent action from Breckland [Council], Mid Norfolk's only rare breed farm park will be forced to close for good," he said.

An inspection of the premises by council-appointed vets had been scheduled for 7 and 8 August, but Mr Stone said he wanted it brought forward.

In a statement, Breckland Council said it had a legal duty to ensure businesses had "appropriate licences in place to ensure required standards of animal welfare and public safety".

The council said: "As far back as summer 2021, the council outlined exactly what the council's licensing requirements are, and that because of the technicalities involved, a licence application would take approximately 10 weeks to be processed.

"We continue to engage with Melsop Farm Park to support their potential reopening as soon as possible."

The non-native animals would remain in the family's private collection and not be shown, Mr Stone said.

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