To EXPORT captive birds out of Ireland to Great Britain

This page contains information on the health certificate requirements for bird movements out of Ireland to Great Britain. Please see example health certificate on Birds (live): model health certificates - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and also on TRACES NT.

• Residency Period

Must have been continuously resident on the premises of origin for at least 21 days or since hatching.

The premises of origin must be registered with the competent authority and not under any movement restrictions. For companion chickens/ducks/pigeons this will be a flock number assigned by the RVO - please contact them if required. For aviary birds this will be a registration number provided by Live Trade section - please see website for details.

An approved confined establishment is also acceptable.

The birds must be captive bred (the birds have not been caught in the wild and have been born and bred in captivity from parents that mated or had gametes otherwise transferred in captivity).

• Healthy and fit to travel

The whole flock of birds and the birds that are going to travel must be healthy and not show clinical signs nor should there be suspicion of disease in the birds or the overall flock.

The birds must come from a holding, which is not under animal health restrictions. Avian influenza and Newcastle disease outbreaks have not been notified either in the holding of origin or in the surrounding area within a radius of 10 km for at least 30 days.

• Health tests

The birds were subjected to a lab tests 7 to 14 days prior to shipment with negative results for any avian influenza and Newcastle disease virus. The birds must not have been vaccinated against avian influenza.

• Psitticadae (birds of the parrot family) and Psitticosis

These birds must not come from a premises which has had psittacosis in the last 60 days.

• Undergo an examination by a vet within 48 hours of departure or on last working day

A health check on the birds of the consignment and the flock of origin must be carried out by an veterinary practitioner within 48 hours of departure.

Your local private vet must help to prepare the birds according to the health certificate and prepare a health certificate with those details on it. You will then need to present this completed private vet health certificate and all required test result or vaccine details etc to your local Regional Veterinary Office (RVO).

After you present this private vet health certificate to the RVO , the RVO will issue the official health certificate that the birds must travel with. Please ensure you contact your local RVO in advance and that you coordinate the examination by the PVP and the RVO visit correctly (within 48 hours of departure) bearing in mind working hours, bank holidays etc.

• Be accompanied by original, signed paperwork

Captive birds being traded between EU countries must be accompanied by official Health Certificate, generated on TRACES NT by the RVO. This will be given to you by the RVO after you have prepared the birds and presented them with the private vet health certificate (see section above “Undergo an examination by a vet within 48 hours of departure and Get a health certificate”).

You will then need to notify GB on IPAFFS, please see the Brexit page for more information on how to notify GB.

• Welfare

General conditions on the welfare of animals during transport can be found here, and more detailed information can be found at Transport of Live Animals. Please also see the health certificate for details about the crates/containers the birds must travel in.

• Licensed Transporter

Please see Transport of Live AnimalsTransport of Live Animals . For list of type 2 transporters approved in Ireland, please see here.