Racing pigeon register

If you want to move pigeons to the EU or Northern Ireland for racing back to Great Britain, you will first need to:

• register the premises (lofts) housing the pigeons you plan to race on the Scottish Racing Pigeon Register
• apply for an Export Health Certificate (EHC) through the gov.uk website – you cannot do this until you have registered your premises

This guidance covers the registration process. 

Who should register

You will need to register your premises on the Scottish Racing Pigeon Register if you:

• keep racing pigeons in Scotland, and
• want to move them to the EU or Northern Ireland for racing back to Great Britain

Registration allows you to declare that your pigeons meet the rules for entering the EU.

Registration requirements

To register your premises, you must meet the requirements set out in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692.

This requires that:

• all pigeons, not just those racing, are vaccinated against Newcastle disease every year in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions – get more information about Newcastle disease vaccines
• pigeons are not vaccinated against avian influenza
• you have registered with a private veterinary practice
• you have at least one vet 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 needs 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.

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.

Recording vet visits

Vet visits can be recorded on the registered pigeon loft veterinary visit: model attestation form (MS Word Document, 48 KB).

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.

How to register your premises

You can register your premises:

• on the Scottish Racing Pigeon Register website, or
• by calling 01466 794323

You’ll need to provide information about yourself and each loft you want to register. You’ll also need to confirm that your loft meets all the above requirements.

After you have registered

Once you have successfully completed the registration process you will get a confirmation email from ScotEID (Scottish livestock traceability system) which operates the register for the Scottish Government.

Each loft you register will be allocated a unique County Parish Holding (CPH) number.

The CPH is a nine-digit number and is the unique code allocated to the loft where your pigeons are kept.  You will need it to complete the EHC required to export racing pigeons from GB to the EU or NI for the purpose of immediate release for racing back to GB. The EHC must then be signed by an OV (Official Veterinarian).

The declaration made during the registration process will be valid for 12 months. After this, ScotEID will get in touch with you to confirm you still meet the requirements of registration.

Compliance checks

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) carries out random compliance checks. If you are selected, you will need to provide:

• a copy of your signed declaration
• copies of your records as set out in the declaration form

If you do not provide the required records your registration can be suspended until you do so.

Details of premises where registration has been suspended due to non-compliance will be published on the Gov.uk website.