Reminder to register decoy birds on the poultry register

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As of 1 October 2024, it has been a legal requirement to for all bird keepers to register with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). Previously, only people with a flock of over 50 birds had to register; since October 2024, following outbreaks of High Pathogenic Avian Influenza, the threshold has been reduced to 1.

This means that any captive bird which is not kept entirely inside a domestic dwelling must be registered with the APHA. This means that any bird used as a decoy or call bird, such as those kept in multi-catch corvid cages and Larsen traps, must be registered on the Poultry Register.

The only exceptions are pet birds in the parrot and songbird families that are kept entirely indoors.

We appreciate that the name ‘Poultry Register’ is confusing and gives the impression that this only applies to domestic poultry; however this is not the case. We recommend that the name of the register is changed, to avoid further confusion.

Registering your birds is simple and can be done online at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/register-as-a-keeper-of-less-than-50-poultry-or-other-captive-birds

Note to Editors:

The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation: The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO) represents the gamekeepers of England and Wales. The NGO defends and promotes gamekeeping and gamekeepers and works to ensure high standards throughout the profession. The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation was founded in 1997 by a group of gamekeepers who felt that keepering was threatened by public misunderstanding and poor representation. Today, the organisation has around 13,000 members.
www.nationalgamekeepers.org.uk