Emails to defra

[Pompey Mick]

Keep going lads, if we don't try anything DEFRA will use us as any easy target, just to show that they are doing something.  They don,t like hassle, when we had to apply individually for Show permits they didn't realise how much work they were letting themselves in for and it was quickly changed to a general licence policed by the RPRA when we needed racing permits. If you can remember when paramyxo reared it's ugly head for the first two years each Club secretary had to send every ring number of all their members birds to obtain a prescription which you then used to obtain the vaccine. This was soon changed to a self policing system when it was apparent how much work was involved on their part.

If you're reading this Bruno, how about using your vast knowledge of this disease and formulating an Email that we can forward to our MP's and DEFRA vets, We need to get our message across, because if we don't care no-one else will.

[Guest]

Rose, what he was suggesting I think was that until the meeting of the 23rd , they had not discussed International Racing!?

I think this needs sitting on now until DEFRA announce the review result, then many questions need to be asked. I could speculate several ideas of how this has happened but lets wait until we get the result of the review.

But do keep writing and ringing DEFRA it can but help speed things up......if they get lots of calls then it will certainly push them that bit more.....they know the way to stop the calls is to make the decision ASAP.............but if they aren't getting any pressure from us then their likely to keep dragging their feet.

I don't knwo who Bruno is but if there is asuitably qualified person (Bruno?) who can provide scientific evidence that Racing Pigeons aren't susceptible then they need to come forward. The man from DEFRA definately gave me the impression that the vet advice he was getting was contrary to this. I assume the RPRA had an expert vet working and attending for us at the meeting of the 23rd of May!?

[jimmy white]

very interesting article indeed, it just goes to show how things can twist and turn

[Guest]

Like Hyancinth and other members been on this case since July 2005 and collectively we have contacted many people and organisations on AI including alerting the Pigeon Unions to what was in the original DEFRA contingency plans ... wholesale slaughter ... rather than 'just no racing'.

 

Personally, very pleased with move to contact members of (your) parliament, because they have more chance of changing / moving DEFRA along than individual persons or organisations. Incidently, contrary to what has been posted earlier E-MAIL BOMBS are illegal [international law] and you can be traced and prosecuted. So keep within the law please.

 

My last email to my own MSP was the weekend of the 'Scary pigeon stories' and in addition to emailing Peter Bryant suggesting he head a joint campaign, I emailed Cathy Peattie as under:-

 

 

Laurieston, Falkirk. 26th March 06

 

 

Cathy Peattie, MSP

 

 

 

I ask for your help once more on the subject of racing pigeons and Avian flu. I attach an article “Racing pigeons face bird flu cull” which appeared in the Sunday Times on 19th March. This followed the previous weekend’s widespread newspaper coverage of the views expressed by Dr Bob McCracken, a past-president of the British Veterinary Association, that feral pigeons could bring Avian flu into town centres, and racing pigeons would require to be kept indoors.

 

You will see that the attached article is the work of Dr Douglas Fleming, ‘scientist and government adviser’. At best, Dr Fleming’s views will cause further unnecessary alarm to the general public, especially pigeon fancier’s neighbours, coming as it does on the back of the previous weekend’s ‘Scary Pigeon Stories’. Unfortunately neither Dr Fleming, Dr McCracken nor the newspapers seem to be fully aware of the known scientific facts about Avian Flu and the pigeon species.

 

The article states Dr Fleming is to address a conference in Edinburgh sometime soon, and I am very concerned that his misinformed views may gain ground amongst similarly uninformed people and find its way into MAFF Contingency Plans. To prevent that happening, I would be pleased if you would convey the following factual information to your Parliamentary colleagues and the relevant Human and Animal Health Departments:-

 

 

(1) Pigeons as a species are wholly resistant to Low Pathogenic Avian flu. Source: Published research by Panigraphy; Kaleta; Perkins & Swayne.

 

(2) Pigeons have high resistance to High Pathogenic Avian flu, H5N1, (Perkins & Swayne). Even under laboratory conditions and using another Asian strain of H5N1 from Thailand, Swayne in his unpublished work with pigeons induced infections under laboratory conditions in only 20%-40%. He concluded that this indicated pigeons had a natural resistance to some strains of H5N1. He is also firmly of the opinion that pigeons are not involved in the spread of Avian flu and banning them would have no effect in the spread of this disease. Swayne’s unpublished work is referenced in DEFRA’s latest AI Risk Assessment, hpai-avianmammal220306. There has been no pigeon racing for 6 months yet Avian flu continues to spread throughout Europe, proving Swayne’s hypotheses that they don’t spread the disease and banning them will have no affect on its spread.

 

(3) Several human H5N1 infections occurred in China in areas where there had been no corresponding outbreaks in poultry. In an attempt to identify the source of these infections, the Chinese authorities had many wild birds living in the area in which the infected persons lived, tested for H5N1 including over 100,000 feral pigeons. All of these tests proved negative (Source: World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE Website). This is further proof that Dr Swayne’s hypothesis is correct - pigeons don’t spread the virus.

 

(4) The recognised carriers of Avian flu virus are wild birds, especially waterfowl. The virus is spread through direct contact. (DEFRA AI Website). Pigeon lofts are wild-bird-proof, and racing pigeons have few if any opportunities to mix with wild birds, especially waterfowl (unlike waterfowl, pigeons can’t swim). The risk of racing pigeons picking up infection from wild birds or waterfowl is therefore extremely remote.

 

(5) A Racing Pigeon loft is a hygienic environment by any animal housing standards. All the well known animal disinfectants are in use, including Jeyes Fluid, Virkon and Stalosan which are on the MAFF list of approved disinfectants, and lime is also used as a floor dressing. It is pure nonsense to suggest that an empty pigeon loft would pose any risk of spreading ANY infection, far less Avian Flu. Poultry farm units house many more birds, all 100% susceptible to Avian flu, and in view of their industrial scale have many more human contacts. Poultry Industry therefore present many more opportunities for Avian / Human flu remix, than any pigeon loft, or group of lofts.

 

 

(6) Unlike poultry, pigeons are NOT housed in crowded conditions, and are normally very fit and healthy birds. This is best demonstrated by well documented infection and death rates world-wide where on exposure to Avian flu 100% of poultry exposed would be infected, NOT so in pigeons.

 

 

 

Thank You,

 

 

 

Gordon Chalmers and his colleagues also collated evidence, which was emailed to RPRA. It was meant to be widely published for the information of all pigeon fanciers.  Despite RPRA owning BHW, it has never been published in the pigeon press. It appears in full on the main avian flu board posted there by me on 30th November 2005.

 

So the information is there to be used in 'RPRA' negotiations with DEFRA but doesn't appear to be being used effectively.