The Federation of Zoological Gardens of Great Britain and Ireland is the umbrella organization for zoos in the British Isles and almost all of the larger zoos are members. The Federation helps to define and set standards for its member zoos, and membership of the organization carries certain obligations. The most recent of the Federation's policy documents sets out obligations and recommendations for its membership regarding animal transactions. These are set out under the headings Animal Acquisitions, Disposal of Surplus Animals and Use of Animal Dealers in Animal Transactions. The booklet includes five appendices and these cover: minimizing the production of surplus animals; useful references; guidelines for EEP coordinators (persons managing species breeding programmes in Europe); the current European Association of Zoos and Aquaria recommended code of practice on screening for infectious diseases when animals are moved between zoos; and a pro forma that must be used to record all pertinent information when animals are transferred between collections.