AI Update
I attended a stakeholder meeting in London last week again mainly for the poultry and rare breed industry. We received a comprehensive update from Debby Reynolds and her team about the current situation with AI.

AI Internationally
Africa continues to cause concern with Cameroon, Nigeria, Cameroon and Egypt reporting outbreaks. These countries all have poor veterinary cover and procedures.

Europe
There have been sporadic isolated outbreaks of AI mainly in dead swans (H5N1) with some incursion into domestic poultry. Ironically the poultry outbreaks in Germany and France have been traced to sand and straw being taken into poultry housing of domestic fowl, probably by film crews!! France , Germany, Sweden, Austria, Denmark have all had outbreaks.

The Current Risk
There is an increased likelihood in the UK but the virus is difficult to move to domestic birds.

Spring Risk assessment
Low despite wider spread in Europe. Risk for UK is diminishing due to migratory birds leaving our shores but there is still a risk.

The Scottish Outbreak
It’s looking more and more likely that the swan may have come in on the tide. Over 1400 samples of dead birds had been tested prior to the dead AI swan.

Racing Pigeon Issues
I raised the issue (again) of inconsistent interpretation of licence conditions by AHDOs. Earlier in the day I had received notice that Chelmsford AHDO stated an intention to prosecute fanciers for not giving 14 days notice of a marking as they deemed this a gathering. Some AHDOs were also insisting on convoyers carrying vaccination certificates. I was asked to speak with one of the DEFRA officials outside of the meeting about these points and he promised to go away to the Animal Heath Policy team to put these points over. I also suggested that it was time that they had another meeting with us to discuss how the licence conditions are going, liaison with AHDOs so we can sort out any problems and to look at racing from the continent. There have been several comments in the pigeon media, both papers, websites and in emails to me that we ought to doing more to secure racing from the continent. You will recall that last week they stated that they could not consider this and having seen the most recent threat assessment I am not surprised at all about this decision. What alarmed me most of all at the meeting was that AI infected otherwise ‘clean’ poultry establishments in France and Germany, brought into the poultry houses on sand and straw by humans. Clearly there is a risk in transmitting AI by these means. But I do feel that if we remain AI free and the French situation also does not deteriorate than we have a better case for asking DEFRA to lift the current UK Only racing ban in May. As I write I am still awaiting news of a meeting at DEFRA to discuss the licence conditions etc and it will be important to have your experiences of how it has been implemented so that all the racing Unions in GB can, if necessary, get things changed. What we must not forget is that the EU has derogated each country to make their own rules on AI issues. Considering what has gone on in some of our pigeon racing neighbours’ countries I think we have been very fortunate to have obtained racing without any interruption so far to its commencement. I know that changing from SR to NR has been a difficult decision for some but it is better than some of our European neighbours have had. Nevertheless, if I, along with the other Unions can secure continental racing later this season then it will be a big bonus.

Peter Bryant
General Manager
The Royal Pigeon Racing Association