To Export Captive Birds out of Ireland to another EU Country

This page contains information on the health certificate requirements for bird movements out of Ireland to other EU countries only.

• 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.

• 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 of disease, nor should there be suspicion of disease in the birds or the overall flock.

Psittacidae (any bird of the parrot family) must be individually identified with a leg ring, injectable transponder (microchip) or tattoo with an individual number.

Other species may be individually identified or can be identified as a group in such a way as to clearly link the travel documents to the birds, e.g. batch numbers on all cages/crates.

• Paramyxovirus-1 (Newcastle Disease (NCD))

All pigeons must be vaccinated against paramyxovirus-1 (Newcastle Disease) in Ireland. This is optional for other bird species.

If the birds are travelling to a part of the EU which is officially free from NCD there are additional testing and quarantine requirements. Please see the health certificate on TRACES NT

• 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. If the premises has had psittacosis in the last 6 months or if the birds have had contact with birds from other premises with psittacosis there are specific testing requirements. Please see the health certificate on TRACES NT for more details.

• Undergo an examination by a vet within 48 hours of departure

A health check on the birds of the consignment and the flock of origin must be carried out by a veterinary practitioner within 48 hours of departure. Your private vet will have to record this exam along with all other required details in a health certificate. A blank health certificate can be downloaded from TRACES NT and the wording there could be used to produce this certificate.

• Get a health certificate

You will then need to present this completed private vet health certificate to your local RVO. Please note, there is a section that the operator/owner needs to complete on this certificate.

After you present this completed private vet health certificate to the RVO, the RVO will issue the EU movement 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 an Intra Trade Animals Health (ITAHC) 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”).

The TRACES NT certificate must be signed by an official government vet from your local RVO. You should contact your local RVO in advance to enquire about getting this certificate. Contact details of the RVOs can be found here - scroll down.

You will need to have contacted your local RVO in advance to ensure they can see you and process the paperwork on your required day. They may require you to submit paperwork in advance to ensure timely service on the day.

Please contact your local RVO in the first instance for further instruction, but if required, please see the

TRACES NT website for assistance in using TRACE NT. The RVO may be able to assist you in completing this certificate, or may ask that you log in to TRACES NT and fill out the first part of the certificate yourself.

• 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

Animals must be commercially transported by an approved Type 2 transporter only. This approval may have been granted in Ireland or in another EU Member State. For details on how to become a registered transporter please see Transport of Live Animals. For list of type 2 transporters approved in Ireland, please see here.