Register a racing pigeon establishment to move pigeons to the EU or Northern Ireland for a race
How to register a racing pigeon establishment in England and Wales to move pigeons to the EU or Northern Ireland for racing back to Great Britain.
Applies to England and Wales
Registration of racing pigeon establishments (pigeon lofts) is voluntary. However, if you want to move racing pigeons from your establishment to the EU or Northern Ireland for immediate release for racing back to Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) you will need to register. The registration will allow an official veterinarian (OV) to certify that the racing pigeons can move for this purpose.
You must also comply with the rules set out in the relevant export health certificate (certificate: 8465). The export health certificate will confirm that the racing pigeons meet the health requirements of the EU and Northern Ireland.
It can take up to 6 weeks for your establishment’s registration to be processed. If you want to race later in the season, delay your application so that priority can be given to those wanting to race earlier.
If your establishment is in Scotland, read the guidance on how to register on the Scottish Government website.
Who can register
You can register if you are a keeper of a racing pigeon establishment in England or Wales.
If your establishment has a number of owners only one will need to register.
If you have establishments at several locations, you need to complete a separate registration for each establishment.
Once your establishment is registered, anyone wanting to move racing pigeons from your establishment to the EU or Northern Ireland can do so using:
- the country parish holding (CPH) number
- a copy of a signed racing pigeon operator declaration
Registration requirements
To register your establishment, you must meet the relevant requirements set out in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692.
This regulation requires that:
- all pigeons, not just those racing, are vaccinated against Newcastle disease every year in accordance with manufacturers’ instructions
- pigeons are not vaccinated against avian influenza
- you have registered with a private veterinary practice
- you have at least one veterinary visit every year
- you keep records of veterinary visits, vaccination status, sales, deaths and additions for at least 3 years and make them available for inspection, on request
Your yearly veterinary visit will need to include an assessment of signs of the occurrence of diseases notifiable and reportable in Great Britain relevant to captive birds. This includes diseases listed in Annex I to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692.
Vet visits can be recorded on the .
They can also be recorded on vet’s headed note paper or email. You must make sure the record includes a statement equivalent to that on the model attestation form.
Further information on Newcastle disease vaccines for use in pigeons in the UK, authorised by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), is available via the VMD Product Information Database search page.
You can find the relevant information by searching for ‘Pigeon’ in the Species tab and diseases, such as Newcastle disease, using the ‘Active substance’ tab.
Register your establishment
There are 2 steps to registration. You must complete both steps.
Step 1: Get a county parish holding (CPH) number
All registered establishments need a unique identification number if you want to move racing pigeons to the EU or Northern Ireland for racing back to Great Britain. The CPH number is a unique identification number used in Great Britain.
The first 2 digits of your CPH number will link to the county of your establishment, the next 3 to your parish and the last 4 will identify your establishment.
Use an existing CPH number
If your establishment already has a CPH number issued by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) in England, Rural Payments Wales (RPW) or the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) you do not need to apply for a new one.
If you already have a CPH number, contact the APHA registration team on 0800 634 1112 or email RacingPigeonsRegistrations@apha.gov.uk. You will need to provide your CPH number and confirm racing pigeons are present at the establishment so your records can be updated.
You can then proceed to step 2 in the registration process.
If any of your details change, you should notify:
- the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) on 03000 200 301 for establishments in England
- Rural Payments Wales (RPW) Online via Manage My CPH for establishments in Wales
Apply for a new CPH number
If you do not have a CPH number, you need to apply for a CPH number for racing pigeon establishments in England and Wales.
Step 2: Complete the racing pigeon establishment declaration
Once you have been issued a CPH number for your establishment, you need to download, complete and sign the .
You need to agree that your establishment meets, and will continue to comply with, the requirements set out in the declaration.
You will need to keep a signed copy of the declaration as you may be asked to provide a copy to APHA and the OV as part of an export Health certificate application.
Your signed operator declaration is valid for 12 months from the date of signature. You will need to sign a new copy of this declaration to confirm that you still meet the declaration requirements every 12 months.
Compliance checks
APHA carry out random compliance checks. If you are selected, you will need to provide:
- a copy of your establishment’s signed declaration
- copies of your establishment’s records as explained in the declaration form
If you do not provide the required records, APHA can suspend your registration until you can demonstrate compliance. If your records are not complete, you will be asked to provide missing information. If you fail to do this your registration will be suspended.
If your registration is suspended, you will no longer be able to move your pigeons to the EU or Northern Ireland.
Suspended racing pigeon establishments
OVs will check if an establishment is listed as suspended when a race organiser applies for an export health certificate. If your establishment is suspended, officials will not be able to certify the relevant export health certificate (certificate: 8465) for your racing pigeons.
Officials may also check this list when your consignment arrives at the border control post (BCP) in the EU or point of entry in Northern Ireland.
APHA will publish a list of suspended racing pigeon establishments. There are currently no suspended establishments.
Get help
If you are in England and have questions regarding the establishment operator’s declaration you can:
- telephone the Defra Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301 and choose the relevant options for APHA
- email APHA at customeradvice@apha.gov.uk
If you are in Wales and have questions regarding the establishment operator’s declaration you can telephone 0800 634 1112. This number provides an option for callers to hear the telephone message in Welsh. APHA will try to connect you to a Welsh-speaking colleague.