JUST IN FROM PETER BRYANT

[Guest TAMMY_1]

Dear All

 

 

 

The news we have been waiting for.  Firstly apologies for not getting this to you on Friday, I have been away from the office.  Below is the text of the DEFRA press release issued on Friday and which you may have seen on your papers on Saturday.

 

 

 

Further down the page you will see the licence conditions as we expect to see them, this again is from DEFRA and will be published in the Licence conditions wef 1 April 07.

 

 

 

Please don’t hesitate to contact mw with any queries.

 

Regards

 

Peter

 

 

 

Ban on international pigeon racing to be lifted

 

 

 

The ban on pigeon racing from Western Europe will be lifted on 1st April 2007, Defra announced today.

 

A ban on pigeon racing from outside the British Isles was originally imposed in October 2005 (apart from a brief lower risk period in June to August 2006) following a veterinary risk assessment.

 

The end of the higher risk autumn migration and over-wintering period, coupled with the absence of evidence of disease in wild birds in Europe, has led to a revised veterinary risk assessment which has informed the decision to lift the ban from 1st April 2007.

 

Pigeon racing from Western Europe will still be subject to the existing conditions on domestic races of notifying in advance, record keeping and biosecurity. There will be an additional requirement for all returning birds to be kept in isolation from other birds for seven days. Birds should also be regularly inspected for signs of disease.

 

All restrictions, including on bird gatherings, in Suffolk and Norfolk following the outbreak of avian influenza in turkeys were lifted on 12 March in line with European legislation. Epidemiological investigations have found little evidence of the involvement of wild birds in that outbreak and there have been no cases detected in wild birds in Europe since August.

 

Defra will keep the risk assessment under constant review and would consider new restrictions if the avian influenza disease situation in wild birds changes.

 

Debby Reynolds, Chief Veterinary Officer, said:

 

“The lifting of the ban on pigeon racing from 1st April is an appropriate response to our assessment of the level of risk of disease from wild birds. However we are keeping this risk under review and there is a constant low-level risk of avian influenza. Therefore I urge all bird owners and pigeon racers to be vigilant and maintain high standards of biosecurity.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you are aware we have revised our veterinary risk assessment on whether to allow pigeon racing from the continent back to England.

 

 

 

We are reaching the end of the higher-risk migration and overwintering period and in the absence of evidence of disease in wild birds in Europe since August 2006, international pigeon racing will be permitted from France, the Channel Islands, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany with effect from 1 April 2007.

 

 

 

The following additional conditions, which will be incorporated into the general licence must be adhered to:

 

 

 

*    All the general licence conditions for other types of bird

 

gatherings under the general licence will apply, including a requirement to notify the SVS seven days before a race, keep records and adhere to strict biosecurity. Defra must also be notified of all liberation sites;

 

 

 

*    All pigeons returning from races outside the British Isles must be

 

isolated from other birds for 7 days i.e. they must not come into physical contact with other birds and appropriate biosecurity measures (such as hand washing and laundering clothing) must be followed further to handler contact with other birds.  This would prevent the same birds or their contacts being raced every week.  This period would increase to 3 weeks if pigeons return home later than 72 hours after release;

 

 

 

*    Birds in isolation must be inspected regularly and any suspicion of

 

an avian notifiable disease must be reported to the SVS.  Other veterinary advice should be sought from a private veterinary surgeon.

 

 

 

*    However, should the risk situation change following a further

 

outbreak of HPAI anywhere in Europe, the risk assessment will be immediately revised and gatherings for international pigeon racing may be restricted from certain areas or banned altogether as appropriate if the outbreaks are near to a liberation site or the route of the race;

 

 

 

As it stands the licence on the Defra website at www.defra.gov.ukanimalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/ai/keptbirds/genlicence.

 

htm

 

<www.defra.gov.ukanimalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/ai/keptbirds/genlicence

 

..htm>  will be amended to reflect these conditions on 1 April.

 

 

 

Peter Bryant

 

 

[Guest WINGS 04]

VERRY GOOD NEWS THAT

[Guest jason]

Very very good news

 

Jason

[ALF]

MON THE RACING ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[THE FIFER]

GREAT NEWS A GOOD START TO THE SEASON.

[Roundo]

Great to hear...........bring on the racing.

 

 

Roundo.

[tubbles]

Hate to sound thick here but, does this mean that my mate can train my birds with his now? It was not allowed last season and it was a real pain trying to get training legally as no-one was going to get the licenses needed by DEFRA. I hope that the training has not finished for ever now, we used to be able to get training on fed transporters in our area from about 20-30 miles but, i like to get the short tosses from 5-10 off my mate. :-/ :-/

[Guest]

Tubbles, not sure that I understand your post correctly: there wasn't any restriction on training with others last year; and it is covered by a general license (see link in original post for the current licence) rather than a bit of paper in your hand made out to 'Tubbles'. Hope training goes better for you this year.  

[Guest TAMMY_1]

Tubbles, not sure that I understand your post correctly: there wasn't any restriction on training with others last year; and it is covered by a general license (see link in original post for the current licence) rather than a bit of paper in your hand made out to 'Tubbles'. Hope training goes better for you this year.  

 

DUNNO IF THIS IS THE SAME THING BRUNO BUT WHEN I ARRANGED OUR SHOW IN DECEMBER THE LICENSE WAS ACTUALLY A BIT OF PAPER IN YOUR HAND BECAUSE IT WAS SENT TO ME FROM THE OFFICE IN GALASHIELS AND I HAD TO PRODUCE IT AT THE HALL ON THE NIGHT OF OUR SHOW, SO ALL THINGS ARE NOT COVERED BY A GENERAL LICENSE, THEY ACTUALLY HAVE TO BE PRODUCED AS EVIDENCE THAT PERMISSION HAS BEEN GRANTED

[Guest]

 

DUNNO IF THIS IS THE SAME THING BRUNO BUT WHEN I ARRANGED OUR SHOW IN DECEMBER THE LICENSE WAS ACTUALLY A BIT OF PAPER IN YOUR HAND BECAUSE IT WAS SENT TO ME FROM THE OFFICE IN GALASHIELS AND I HAD TO PRODUCE IT AT THE HALL ON THE NIGHT OF OUR SHOW, SO ALL THINGS ARE NOT COVERED BY A GENERAL LICENSE, THEY ACTUALLY HAVE TO BE PRODUCED AS EVIDENCE THAT PERMISSION HAS BEEN GRANTED

 

 

Exactly the same as our Club Shows Nov - Dec last year. The general license is your permission, and it requires you to advise your Divisional Animal Health Office 7 days before the event takes place. We got a letter too which went up on the wall. But take your point, that letter could be seen as permission as it confirms that you contacted them, as required.

 

On training with others, the 'Racing' conditions apply, tho there would need to be a bit of common sense applied I think as I don't see the Office wanting a telephone call every week about intended training the following week (take advice on this from Divisional Animal Health Office); pick your usual dates and places i.e. if you usually go 3 days a week throughout the racing season, then write and tell the Divisional Animal Health Office that you intend to train for others on these dates. Get the fanciers to give you a list of their birds.

 

This is an extract from the DEFRA website :-

 

What is a general licence?

Event organisers do not have to apply for a specific licence but must read the conditions in a general licence. These conditions are also available on request form local Animal Health Offices. The main licence requirements are:

 

Anyone holding a bird gathering has to advise their local AHDO that the event is taking place and adhere to strict biosecurity practice.

A nominated person must be designated as the event organiser and a person responsible for keeping the records set out in the conditions.

There are specific requirements in the licence conditions, such as cleansing and disinfecting and record keeping, relating to bird sales, pigeon races.

[ticeye]

 

when training on transporter a copy of your vacinated birds given to the transporter driver is all that is needed for mixed training if the driver is stopped for a check by ministery all he has to do is to show all vacination sheets

[tubbles]

Last season i was asked by club members to check on the restrictions and it was pointed out that birds from different lofts had to be transported seperately this was for both training and taking them to the club. the restrictions were about gatherings of birds and that was the sticking point that i was warned about. A "gathering of birds" is birds from different places. that meant two lofts or 200 lofts. this is the point that i would like to have cleared up please.

[brerjr17]

this may be very good news for all you fanciers up country, but the 7 day rule is  not such good news for us on the south coast as every race except the 1st one is across the channel,  if we only keep a small team we can only race every other week

[PIGEON_MAN]

Just wondering brerjr17 if the restrictions hadn,t been lifted where would you have raced from.

[Guest]

Last season i was asked by club members to check on the restrictions and it was pointed out that birds from different lofts had to be transported seperately this was for both training and taking them to the club. the restrictions were about gatherings of birds and that was the sticking point that i was warned about. A "gathering of birds" is birds from different places. that meant two lofts or 200 lofts. this is the point that i would like to have cleared up please.

 

The general license permits 'Gatherings of birds' in all its forms: joint training, racing, sales, shows.

[brerjr17]

fair point pigeon man we would have had to go north but i didnt join south road club to race north, it is good news but i would not say very good news the restrictions affect us down the south more than up country where where there tend to be more fanciers

[Guest]

this may be very good news for all you fanciers up country, but the 7 day rule is  not such good news for us on the south coast as every race except the 1st one is across the channel,  if we only keep a small team we can only race every other week

 

Picked that one up last year; restrictions are unrealistic, especially for fanciers near the south coast where the channel is a normal weekly race:

 

(1) few fanciers have the facilities to hold their race team as individuals in quarantine for 7 days.  Where would you keep 10 pigeons in individual isolation? Where would you keep 50 pigeons in individual isolation?

 

(2) Quarantine destroys the bird's relationships within the loft: its box, mate, eggs, youngsters. In a Scotland channel race, the bird has spent 3 days in the basket, flown 500/600 miles in 15/16 hours to get home only to be banged up on its own for another 7 days. Animal Health & Welfare considerations there.

 

Don't believe the RPRA published its case to DEFRA, but believe it wanted isolation periods reduced. DEFRA has published its pigeon racing risk assessment, so that's where to start.

[brerjr17]

spot on bruno everything u said makes alot of sense, hopefully the restrictions may get altered even five days isolation woud be a start although not perfect

[Guest CS]

Great news.

[pigeonpete]

its very good news is that!! my first season over the water!! that should wittle them down ;D ;D

[crazy pigeon boy]

very good news looking forward to a bit of distance racing  

[peterpau]

this may be very good news for all you fanciers up country, but the 7 day rule is  not such good news for us on the south coast as every race except the 1st one is across the channel,  if we only keep a small team we can only race every other week

 

Not just you boys on the south coast this will affect. We have a BICC membership form waiting to be sent, and their race program is every other week over the channel. So this will mean no club racing for us. To me that's a real pain in the *expletive removed* no training program.

 

[mickmcgrevy]

The 7 days quarantine and isolation doesn't make sense, if the country which you are racing from doesn't have the disease, why should the birds be isolated, there is nothing to catch to bring home.

 

It doesn't appear to me to have been thought through very well, it seems to me they have just put the isolation clause in just for the sake of it, "after all they are only pigeons arent they". Now if it had been poultry, there would have been no ristrictions at all, and I do believe that is the case  

[Guest]

PompeyMick posted DEFRA's pigeon racing risk assessment on main Avian Flu board.

 

Lots of questionable things in it, and lots of things left out of it, said to be based on best knowledge to date, but doesn't reference the most up-to-date research on pigeons.

 

Terms are very misleading; (1) inland racers home 'within 24 hours' (it quotes RPRA as source for this) instead of racers make a bee-line home, 300+ miles in 7/8 hours, non-stop; and

 

(2) channel racing home 'within 72 hours' rather than home after 16/17 hours on wing; and

 

(3) channel pigeon 'going to ground' at dusk - opportunity to mix with poultry ??? rather than all poultry locked up in their shed for the night and racing pigeon rests till first light on a house roof???

 

Writer displays poor grasp & knowledge of pigeons & pigeon racing.

[Pompey Mick]

This is part of a risk  assesment from 2006:

 

The currently available evidence indicates that exposure of various free living avian species and free living and domestic animal species to HPAI H5N1 virus is likely to result in death following close and direct exposure to the virus. In epidemiological terms, this development is consistent with the concept of a

self-limiting disease (a ‘dead-end’ host). The recent pattern of the virus detection in these species indicates that these species became infected because of localised introduction and a high level of exposure to the virus from other species rather than horizontal transmission within the species concerned'

Why is the 7 day isolation period needed?