# Check the approval record

Lesson 1 of [Check a pet crematory's records and paperwork](https://petcremation.fyi/academy/check-pet-crematory-records-and-paperwork.md), 18 minutes.

In Great Britain, pet crematoria that handle animal by-products need approval from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). APHA publishes a register of approved premises on GOV.UK. This lesson shows what the register holds and what it leaves out. It is not legal advice.

## How to check the register

1. Ask the provider for its approval number.
2. Open the APHA approved premises page on GOV.UK. It links to an Excel file called "Approved animal by-product plants in Great Britain".
3. Open the sheet "Sec III Incineration Combustion". Pet crematoria have the activity "INCC Pet Crematorium".
4. Search the sheet for the approval number, the town or the plant name.
5. Compare the name, town and postcode with what the provider told you.

## What the register holds

The register lists the approved plant name, the town, the postcode and the approval number. It holds no street address, phone number, website or prices. For that reason a listing built from the register may show only a name, a town and a postcode.

## What an approval does not tell you

An approval means the premises can handle animal by-products. It does not say what services the crematory offers. It does not say what it charges. It does not say whether the crematory offers private or communal cremation. Ask the provider.

## A missing listing is not a missing approval

This site lists only part of the register so far. A crematory that is missing from this site may still hold an approval. The file changes over time, so read the current one.

## Outside Great Britain

In the United States, Canada and Australia, the rules sit with states, provinces or councils. This site does not hold those rules. Ask the provider which licences it holds, what they cover and which office issued them. Then ask that office how you can check.

## Sources

- GOV.UK, Animal by-product operating plants: approved premises (APHA register)
- PetCremation guide, Pet cremation rules in the United Kingdom
- PetCremation guide, What a pet crematory listing shows

Also on the [web page](https://petcremation.fyi/academy/check-pet-crematory-records-and-paperwork/check-the-approval-record).