ABOUT Screen Ready Animal Standards

Created to assess the people responsible for animals on set

Existing welfare, licensing and production-safety systems are essential, but they do not usually provide a dedicated professional qualification for the individual trainer or handler doing the work. SRAS was created to address that gap. It provides a structured route through which animal professionals can demonstrate knowledge, judgement, professional conduct and practical competence relevant to production work.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

“Anyone working an animal on a production should be able to evidence, not just claim, that they are qualified to do so. SRAS exists to make that evidence possible, public, and meaningful.”

SRAS provides a defined route, transparent requirements, and a credible basis for qualification. It does not replace legal duties, welfare legislation, licensing regimes, or production safety frameworks. It complements them by sitting clearly within the existing chain of duty.

Qualification under SRAS is a confirmation of standing. It signals that an individual has studied a defined syllabus, been examined under controlled conditions, and accepted a binding Code of Conduct that governs how they work.

WHAT WE STAND FOR

Welfare led

The condition of the animal is the first measure of whether work proceeds, not the schedule, not the shot.

Evidence based

Qualification is awarded against published criteria, examined competence, and documented standing, not declared experience.

Independent

SRAS is an independent qualification and standards initiative for professional animal work in production. It sets its own requirements, records decisions and provides conduct procedures designed to support accountability and animal welfare. It is not a regulator or statutory licensing body.

POSITION

Where SRAS sits in the chain

SRAS works alongside existing welfare law, licensing authorities, and production safety frameworks. It addresses a gap they do not: an examined, named, and withdrawable standing for the individuals doing the work.

METHOD

How qualification is earned

Applicants follow the requirements published for their chosen SRAS route and are assessed against the relevant SRAS standard. Successful applicants receive an SRAS award and active-status record, and remain subject to the Code of Conduct while presenting that status as current. Public verification will be introduced only when the service is operational.

FOUNDER

James Weller

SRAS was founded by James Weller, an animal trainer and animal supplier with professional experience in animal training, assessment and screen-production work. The framework is informed by practical experience of preparing animals, working with production teams and understanding the responsibility carried by the person handling the animal on set.

IMPARTIALITY

Conflicts of interest are declared and managed

SRAS recognises that its founder and contributors may also work commercially within the animal-production industry. Actual, potential and perceived conflicts of interest are declared and managed. No person may assess themselves, their own staff or an applicant where their impartiality could reasonably be questioned.