The Poultry Keeper

madslg · Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 298 Location: Farnham

I am just a little keeper with only four birds...
I know that this means i don't need to register with DEFRA but i have discovered that my local trading standards - Surrey - would like all bird owners to come forward and give details of their stock.

I know that this is not enforceable at this stage and i am debating whether it would be a bad move or not. I really want to do the right thing for the birds and for the prevention of any outbreak.

What are your thoughts? Should i sit tight for a while or go ahead and announce my little flock?
Confused

George · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 5661 Location: London

I'm gonna wait, Wink

poultry poofs · Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 12:39 pm Post subject:

Personally I would wait for DEFRA to require registration details.
I would be suspicious of why the trading standards require poultry keepers to register their birds since they have no jurisdiction over the disease control situation, thats down to DEFRA and their Veterinary service offshoot.
I suspect trading standards are trying to make their job easier when trying to trace who is supplying eggs to the retail trade rather than any desire to control desease.
There are a lot of people supplying eggs to their local shops, which was fine until the law changed, many should no longer be doing so without first subjecting there operation to the scrutiny of the DEFRA Egg Marketing Inspector.Many local authority trading standards offices are aware eggs are being sold to shops without the correct permissions and want to stamp it out.
Now ALL eggs MUST be grade A when supplied to the retail trade or restuarants etc and suppliers who intend to do so MUST be registered with DEFRA irrespective of size of flock.
GradeA and B eggs (B is all other eggs ungraded,or not suitable for sale as grade A eggs) can continue to be sold at the farm gate or direct to the customer as normal.There is no longer a grade C category
In any case in the long run if the desease does become a real threat as opposed to a potential one DEFRA may require every poultry keeper to register their birds.Originally it was going to be owners of 50 birds or more but the thinking has changed now as there are so many people with poultry and domestic waterfowl now.
There is another possible reason for trading standards requesting registration in that since the new animal welfare regulations came into force Local authorities will have the job of policing welfare conditions of poultry/livestock in their area as the regs cover everyone who owns livestock not just farmers and smallholders.
As far as I am aware its likely to be the trading standards offices who will have the job of policing the welfare regs.
rich

nigel · Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 12:54 pm Post subject:

not that i distrust government bodies or anything (I work for one) but personally i wouldn't volunteer information. If they want it, they can make it a legal requirement.

Cool

Heather · Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 2:34 pm Post subject:

I agree With Nigel and George

(no change there then! Rolling Eyes

)

madslg · Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 298 Location: Farnham

I think i will sit tight - having read the above makes a lot of sense to me.
I don't have enough eggs to sell at farm gate or anywhere!
As for the welfare checks - well i am all for that but at the moment i will continue as i have been...

Thanks for the input, it is good to get a feel for these things.
Smile

Issy · Joined: 22 Nov 2005 Posts: 371 Location: somerset

I too am going to sit tight and wait until I legally have to declare my birds. I only have 15 chickens a cockerel and two ducks but whereas I will willingly do anything necessary to control disease I am very suspicious of government bodies collecting ''information'' and what they will do with it. (I too used to work for the civil service). Confused

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

I would agree with everyone else and if I had mayabe 52 birds, I might try to rehome 3 of them so I had 49!
I'm not sure on these things, if I had to register the girls then I would no problem ~ we all want what is best, but to offer the information when there is no need, seems a bit big brotherish. I also have a sneaking feeling that the gov or defra whoever is behind this will be contacting vets around the country and if you've been there then they will know about you.
Oh dear, am I becoming cynical now?

debcat · Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2005 12:38 am Post subject:

I can (just) get mine under 50
BUT
When you add Jess's in as well it's way over Confused

figure since I already have a holding number for the sheep, I don't stand a chance of not getting registered Sad

madslg · Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 298 Location: Farnham

It really does come down to the question of why they want the info - is it sneaky beaky or is it genuine?!

I think though that people may have reacted very differently had we not had the foot and mouth example to judge by... Sad

poultry poofs · Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 3:30 pm Post subject:

foot and mouth example........having lived in the midst of an 'infected' quarantined area and directly affected by it I would say farce.
Peoples general distrust of Government-which ever side - handling of such things from BSE and Salmonella to the foot and mouth 'epidemic'and now AI - which at the moment only affects birds thousands of miles away and has not yet mutated to become more than a transient threat to people -probably leads people to leap to their own conclusions fed by tabloid media hysteria.
A prime example of this is the panic buying of fuel following the huge fire yesterday at Hemel Hemstead-and no media involvement there other than to report it.
People react differently and selfishly nowadays because they dont trust the government agencies.

Chrisp · Joined: 27 Sep 2005 Posts: 36 Location: Stoke-on-Trent

It reminds me of a friend who had to have their pet sheep put down during foot and mouth due to there proximity to an effected farm. Tuns out the government in all it's wisdom had got the grid reference of their house wrong and the sheep could have been spared. Be careful of volunteering any info!!!! Evil or Very Mad

Nisi · Joined: 09 Sep 2005 Posts: 164 Location: Yorkshire

I am definitely going to keep my head down and hope registration does not become necessary. I trust no-one !
On the subject of fuel, I have just been to get petrol (due to my tank being empty) and had to join a queue and watch the man in front of me fill the four cans he had in his boot ! Crazy ! If the media say there's no need to panic then everybody does !

madslg · Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 298 Location: Farnham

It is all rather senseless in the end isn't it..... Rolling Eyes

1 Chicken Smuggler · Joined: 11 Dec 2005 Posts: 178

Wait,do not trust the Government,if someone comes from the Government and says they are there to help you----Start running and screaming for your life.That is how most of us in my section of the woods look at it.