Avian Influenza and Influenza of Avian Origin in Mammals Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007 ("the Regulations"), Regulation 6.

Department of

Agriculture. Environment and Rural Affairs

As Rate

TI'malmhaíochta, Comhshaoil agus Gnóthaí Tuaithe

Fairmin, Environment an' Kintra Matthers

Schedule 5-Release of Racing Pigeons, Doves and other Columbiformes

 

(1) A keeper of racing pigeons, doves or other Columbiformes may:

 

(a) Temporarily let their birds out briefly before feeding each day to meet bird's welfare requirements for up to an hour. Lofts must not be left open for several hours for the birds to come and go as they please. Contact between the racing pigeons, doves or other Columbiformes either directly or indirectly with wild birds must be minimised wherever possible.

 

(b) Birds from the same loft/pigeon house may also be transported to a point some distance from the home loft/pigeon house and released/liberated and allowed to return to the loft/pigeon house as part of a training and conditioning programme. The vehicle and baskets/boxes must be cleansed and disinfected using a DAERA approved disinfectant.

 

(c) Provided the gathering is registered with DAERA and the conditions of the General Licence are complied with, multi-loft training, pigeon racing and other Columbiforme competitions are permitted whilst the AIPZ is in force. Birds may be basketed, marked and transported to a liberation site and released to fly back to their home loft/pigeon house. The vehicle/transporter and baskets/boxes must be cleansed and disinfected using a Government Approved Disinfectant.

 

(d) Pigeons, doves and other Columbiformes may be transported to another location and released to fly free at functions and events provided the birds are either gathered and returned to their home premises as soon as practicable or they fly to return to their home premises. Care should be taken to avoid locations where there are large numbers of wild birds or domestic poultry. Events where birds from more than one premises are present is a bird gathering and must be registered with DAERA and meet the conditions of the general licence for bird gatherings.