FROM PETER BRYANT

[Guest TAMMY_1]

AI UPDATE

 

I must admit that my first reaction on hearing that Foot and Mouth disease was back was one of horror.  I was watching the 10 o/c news on BBC1 and then immediately turned over the see the latest news on BBC News 24.  However, I leapt straight to my computer at home to check the DEFRA website and I saw that there was no need to panic and by 11pm I had updated the RPRA website with news that UK racing continues unless we are told otherwise.  It now looks as though the outbreak is under control and restrictions will soon be lifted.  After the debacle of 2001 DEFRA certainly have got their act together with regards to contingency plans and we saw these in action as the incident was contained rapidly.  The one disturbing thing to come out of this is that it appears likely that the FMD was spread by humans on their feet.  We have seen this occur too with Avian Influenza.  The Low Pathogenic outbreak in Suffolk this year was spread between the 2 farms concerned by workers and the High Pathogenic outbreak in France last year was spread by a television film crew.  Despite our observations to DEFRA that humans appear more likely to spread AI than pigeons this has fallen on deaf ears.  Where are the disinfectant mats for returning tourists from France and Germany?

 

There has not been much change on the AI front then with DEFRA although I have recently, again, in the light of the AI in France not spreading further, asked them to review the racing ban so that we might get some young bird racing in.  I know how important it is to get at least one Channel race in before the season ends so we will really push for that.

 

Secondly, I have had a meeting with our solicitor and we have agreed a strategy and that is developing.  I will report back on this when we have something more concrete to say.

 

 

 

EU Directives

 

Several people have contacted me over the summer to advise that the EU has passed a directive which states that racing pigeons have been taken out of the poultry category.  Try as I have, I have not been able to hunt down this specific directive and so do not know the implications of such a move.  I have contacted our colleagues in Belgium and the Netherlands.  They have told me that this directive is not aligned to the Avian Influenza directive so we are still classed as ’other species’ as far as AI is concerned.  

 

 

 

RPRA One Loft Race

 

It seems incredible that we are talking of final race arrangements now for the RPRA one loft race.  The weather early this week has thwarted the final hotspot race and as I write we are still waiting for a window in the weather to get the Yelverton race underway.  Anyway, the final race is scheduled for August Bank Holiday Sunday from Sennen Cove and by 3 pm that day someone will be £20,000 richer!  Visitors to the race will be most welcome, there will be an all day BBQ and refreshments with plenty of seating too. Please try to arrive by midday.    The loft will be signposted from the A438 Tewkesbury to Ledbury road.  If you join the A438 at Tewkesbury (junction 1 of the M50 is the nearest motorway exit) then follow this road until you come to the Duke of York pub and turn right opposite the pub into Rye Street.  .  If you come off the M50 at junction 2 then follow the A417 to Gloucester taking the first right to the Malverns and again the loft is signposted from there.  If you have satnav then the postcode is WR13 6AS.  Parking is available in a field opposite the loft.

 

As with all pigeon racing the final race is weather dependent and so you are advised to check on www.rpra.org homepage to see if the race is definitely on.  You can also phone the Libline number 09063 656880.  Please bear in mind that calls to this number are 60p a minute from a BT landline and other networks may vary.

 

 

 

Notifying Airfields of Liberations

 

Organisations intending to liberate racing or training at any site listed in the RPRA Rule Book must notify the Air Traffic Controller giving 14 days notice of the liberation.  The convoyer should telephone the ATC 30 minutes prior to liberation and ensure that a record is kept of the name of the controller that you speak to.  A full list of the airfields is on page 28 of the 2007 rule book.

 

 

 

Peter Bryant

 

General Manager

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

On pigeons classed as poultry: as far as I understand, only one european country ever classified racing pigeons as poultry - and I think that was Belgium.

 

As far as AI is concerned, pigeons were always included in the legislation, from the very first DEFRA contingency plan published in 2005.

 

And as far as foot & mouth is concerned, pigeons are not considered a susceptible species, and pigeon fanciers and their vehicles staying away from farms and farm tracks when training and racing was the only common sense restriction required.