Call for government to ban goldfish as prizes

West Berkshire Council is pressing the government for an outright ban on goldfish as prizes

Goldfish will not be given away as prizes because their welfare needs are not being met, a council has said.

West Berkshire Council is protecting them from being won at fairs and other events on its land, and will ask parish and town councils to follow suit.

It is also pressing the government for an outright ban.

"Pets are for life and not just a prize to be won at a fair," Thatcham West councillor Justin Pemberton told a full council meeting on Tuesday.

Mr Pemberton, putting the motion forward to the council, said: "Many will take goldfish and put them in a bowl which is not the best place for a fish.

"This should touch all of our hearts. Goldfish are easily stressed and many die before new owners get them home."

He added: "I accept this is not the most pressing thing on people’s minds, but it is important."

'Outdated practice'

The motion said animals – primarily goldfish, but also other household pets – often do not have their welfare needs met prior to, during, and after being given as a prize.

It said the local authority should be "applauded for having implemented a policy that precludes animals being given away as prizes on council-owned land, ensuring that the welfare of these animals is not compromised, as well as raising public awareness of the issue and leading the way on ending this outdated practice".

The motion suggested the council should formally write to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), urging that an outright ban on the giving of live animals as prizes on both public and private land be legislated for.

The RSPCA said it still regularly received calls relating to animals being given away at fairgrounds, though since 2021 almost 80 local authorities across England and Wales had banned pets as prizes.