Captive birds, hatching eggs of captive birds – Racing pigeons
Captive birds and hatching eggs are defined respectively in Article 4(10) and Article 4(44) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council on transmissible animal diseases (Animal Health Law).
This Regulation sets out, amongst other, general animal health requirements for keeping and moving terrestrial animals.
Racing pigeons are captive birds more specifically defined in Article 3(35) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688 (rules on movements within the EU of terrestrial animals) and in Article 62(2) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692 (rules on entry into the EU of animals and products from a non-EU country): once arrived at destination, the racing pigeons shall be released immediately with the intention that they fly back directly to their country of origin.
Movements within the EU
In general, the captive birds, or their hatching eggs, shall come from a registered establishment and be accompanied by an animal health certificate.
Several simplifications exist e.g. for racing pigeons, flight exhibitions of aerobatic pigeons or birds of prey, birds participating at an exhibition, birds moved from an exhibition to a place which is not their place of origin.
Before and during dispatch
Establishments keeping captive birds, including those moving captive birds within the EU, have to be registered by the competent authority (Article 84 of the Animal Health Law) and obtain a unique registration number.
As a general rule, animals should be moved directly from the establishment of origin to their destination (Article 126(2) of the Animal Health Law).
Operators can only move captive birds or their hatching eggs to another Member State if they comply with the EU animal health requirements, including risk mitigation measures ensuring that movements of these animals or their eggs do not pose a significant risk of spreading diseases that affect human or animal health.
Animal health requirements for movements within the EU of captive birds are:
- the general requirements for movements laid down in Articles 124 to 129 of the Animal Health Law;
- the supplementary requirements laid down in the following articles of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688:
- Article 4, concerning the means of transport;
- Articles 59 to 62.
The birds shall have stayed at least 21 days in their establishment of origin (residency period).
Psittacidae (parrots) shall be individually identified with an injectable transponder, a tattoo or a leg ring.
Birds of galliformes species shall comply with provisions related to the status “free from infection with Newcastle disease virus without vaccination”. This provision currently applies for birds destined to Sweden or Finland, which have that status pursuant to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620.
Specific animal health requirements for movements within the EU of hatching eggs of captive birds are laid down in Article 60 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688.
An animal health certificate shall be issued prior to dispatch by an official veterinarian who attests that the birds or their hatching eggs fulfil all the requirements for movements between Member States and shall be created in the TRACES system. Operators can start to create Part I of the certificate by themselves in that system, in order to present it to the official veterinarian who will complete it and sign it.
The certificate shall accompany the birds or their hatching eggs during the whole transport. See more information about the TRACES system.
The model animal health certificates are set out in Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/403: in Chapter 21 for captive birds, and in Chapter 22 for their hatching eggs.
At destination
Article 127 of the Animal Health Law
Operators of establishments receiving the birds or the hatching eggs from another Member State must check the animals or the eggs, their correct identification (if any) and whether the documentation is complete. If they perceive any irregularity, they must inform the competent authority of the place of destination. In this case animals must be isolated until the competent authority advises how to proceed.
There are no border controls for movements between the Member States, but non-discriminatory checks can be carried out on the way to their place of destination or at destination according to the Regulation (EU) 2017/625 (Official Controls Regulation). Those checks help to ensure that consignments comply with the guarantees provided by the animal health certificate.
Movements to an exhibition in another Member State
Article 67 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688, paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, lays down simplified rules for movements of captive birds to exhibitions e.g.:
- before the movement to an exhibition taking place in another Member State, the birds from different keepers and kept in the same Member State, can be collected in one place for certification purpose,
- the presence of a veterinarian is not required for flight exhibitions (e.g., birds of prey, aerobatic pigeons).
Movements from an exhibition to another Member State
Article 67 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688, paragraphs 4 and 5, provides that the movement can take place from the exhibition back to the Member State of origin with the same initial certificate or with a new certificate issued at the exhibition based on the initial certificate.
The movement can also take place from the exhibition to a third Member State. In this case a new certificate shall be issued at the exhibition, based on the initial certificate; the birds shall be isolated during 21 days after arrival.
The model animal health certificate for the abovementioned movements of captive birds from an exhibition is set out in Chapter 21a of Annex I to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/403.
Movements of racing pigeons to sporting events in another Member State
Article 68 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688
The birds’ keepers shall ensure that the flock of origin and the pigeons to be moved have no sign of disease, and that the birds are vaccinated against Newcastle disease.
An animal health certificate is not required (Article 71).
The birds shall be released as soon as they arrive at their destination to fly back to their Member State of origin.
Entry into the EU
Captive birds and hatching eggs of captive birds must fulfil the animal health requirements laid down in Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council (‘Animal Health Law’). Part V (Articles 229 to 243) of that Regulation establishes the general animal health conditions for such entry into the EU.
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692 lays down specific animal health requirements for non-EU countries supplementing the measures laid down in Part II of the AHL. These include e.g. freedom from diseases (Newcastle disease or avian influenza), residency periods in the country of origin, requirements for establishments of origin, health requirements for the animals/germinal products and certification.
The same animal health requirements are applicable in all the Member States; they mitigate the health risks attached to these movements of animals or germinal products entering the EU.
Authorised countries ('listed countries')
Entry into the EU can only take place from authorised non-EU countries. This authorisation is based on the following criteria:
- the health status of livestock, of other animals and wildlife;
- the legislation of the non-EU country;
- the country's rules on the prevention and control of animal diseases;
- the organisation, structure, competence and power of the veterinary services;
- membership of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH);
- the regularity and rapidity of information on infectious animal diseases provided by the non-EU country to the Commission and the WOAH.
Based on the principles contained in the Animal Health Law (Regulation (EU) 2016/429), on the specific requirements in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692 and on the results of Commission’s audits carried out to verify that all the criteria are properly fulfilled, the non-EU country may be authorised for the entry into the EU of captive birds or germinal products thereof (i.e. their hatching eggs).
If the non-EU country is authorised, it is included in the list established in Annex VI to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404.
It is possible to regionalise a country. This means that depending on the animal health situation and the guarantees offered by that country, only a part of its territory may be authorised for entry into the EU.
Establishment of origin
Entry into the EU of consignments of captive birds or their hatching eggs is authorised if they come from approved establishments listed in TRACES, located in those listed non-EU countries (Article 55, points (a), (b) and (c), of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692).
Animal health requirements
Captive birds and hatching eggs of captive birds must fulfil the general animal health requirements laid down in Articles 229 to 243; i.e. Part Vof Regulation (EU) 2016/429 (AHL), and the supplementary specific animal health requirements laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692 (Articles 11, 13, 17, 53 to 62).
The captive birds:
- shall have stayed at least three weeks (residency period) in their establishments of origin,
- are not vaccinated against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI),
- if they are vaccinated against Newcastle disease (ND), the vaccine is compliant with EU requirements,
- have been tested with negative results for HPAI and ND viruses 7 to 14 days before the movement,
- if of galliformes species, shall comply with provisions related to the status “free from infection with ND virus without vaccination” of the Member State of destination,
- if of the psittacidae family, shall comply with specific provisions related to avian chlamydiosis.
All captive birds shall be individually identified with an injectable transponder or a closed leg ring.
The supplementary animal health requirements for hatching eggs of captive birds are laid down in Article 115 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692: they shall have been obtained from captive birds eligible for entry into the EU (see above).
Official certificates
Captive birds and hatching eggs of captive birds being presented for entry into the EU must be accompanied by an animal health certificate, models of which are set out in Annex II of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/403, respectively in Chapter 33 (model ‘CAPTIVE-BIRDS, OTHER THAN RACING PIGEONS’) and Chapter 35 (model ‘HE-CAPTIVE-BIRDS‘).
An official veterinarian in the authorised non-EU country must sign the animal health certificate to attest that all the relevant conditions in the certificate are met. The certificate must accompany the animals and germinal products on their way to the EU and when they are presented for entry into the EU at an approved EU Border Control Post.
Border inspections
Captive birds and hatching eggs of captive birds entering the EU are inspected at a border control post (BCP). Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2130 provides detailed rules for official controls at BCPs on animals entering the EU from non-EU countries.
Captive birds and hatching eggs of captive birds which do not comply with the EU animal health requirements cannot enter into, or transit through, the EU.
Quarantine requirement after Border Control Post checks
Following their entry into the EU, captive birds shall be transported without delay directly to an approved quarantine establishment and kept there under official veterinarian supervision for a period of at least 30 days.
Rules for the quarantine are set in Articles 59 to 61 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692.
Special rules for racing pigeons
Racing pigeons entering the EU from a non-EU country where they are normally kept, with the intention to be immediately released with the expectation that they will fly back to that non-EU country, have to comply with less stringent rules than those applicable to captive birds e.g.:
- the non-EU country of origin does not need to be listed (but the Member State of destination shall approve beforehand this coming entry),
- the establishment of origin shall only be registered (approval not required) or listed,
- the birds do not need to be quarantined after the check at the border control post (they are supposed to be released immediately after reaching their place of destination).
Rules are detailed in Article 62(2) and (3) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692.
These racing pigeons shall be accompanied by an animal health certificate which model is set out in Chapter 34 of Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/403.
Special rules for captive birds imported for conservation programmes approved by the competent authorities of the Member State of destination
The specific animal health requirements described above for captive birds may not apply for the ones imported for conservation programmes approved by the Member State of destination and be replaced by rules defined by the competent authorities of this Member State.