chrismahon
Well-known member
As many of you know we are exporting our chickens to France -36 of them. This is easiest as there are no other Countries to pass through to get there.
The logistics are fairly straightforward at first glance. They will travel as groups in separate dog cages, overnight and through the morning. Hopefully to them it will be like a long windy Winter night. The van will have an air vent fitted in the roof and the windows will be blacked out. The coops will be in a large trailer behind. Journey time must be less than 12 hours otherwise they need to have a stop for food and water which would wake them all up and be chaotic !
Of course loading the birds them takes time, disassembling all the coops and runs and loading them takes time as does unloading and reassembling at the other end. This is the main problem because the journey time is on the limit as it is. Leaving coops behind isn't an option as they will certainly be stolen before we can return to collect them. Such is the nature of our neighbourhood. So the plan is to utilise the 4 coops we are leaving anyway, leaving just one to dismantle on the day. I will build 5 more with runs which will hold breeding sets of up to 6 large fowl. These will be 'rapid assembly' designs -coop and run 5 minutes initially, then another 15 minutes each for the finishing touches. Basically enough screws to hold together, birds in, then the rest of the screws to follow. The other coops we want to take will go into safe storage before departure, as will absolutely everything else not screwed down or dug in!
Now for the paperwork which is managed by the Carlisle Office not the local Stafford. There are three types of export -pets, domestic and commercial. The numbers dictate commercial, which requires a health system certified and maintained for at leat 12 months. But as we are running small separate breeding flocks DEFRA suggest TWO applications under the domestic system which is for less than 20 birds (so 19 or under). So we will export two flocks of 18 each. Caged and identified in the van as to which flock they belong. The vet (who is specially qualified for and only deals with poultry export and drives 30 miles to get here) is happy because they are also separated physically within the Orchard, which is divided into two sections.
Aside from the obvious information the following is needed:-
Full description of each flock -breeds, sex and quantities. Age helpful, names not necessary.
Full postal address of destination.
Written declaration that the birds have had no vaccinations at all. I think to have had them presents the possibility of being carriers and an acknowledgement that they are at risk in their present environment. The vet accepted that we have two hybrids that have had oral innoculation -that's OK as long as it wasn't administered on our site. Particular no's are vaccination against Avian Flu and Newcastle disease. More of this later.
Animal Health registration number and centre issuing it. Now this is compulsory if you have over 50 chickens and voluntary less than that. We did have 76 so we registered but could not export without it.
The next stage is blood tests. As the flock is less than 250 we only need the two chicken risk Salmonellas done, not the four human risk Salmonellas. There are hundreds of different ones in this group. The sample is based on statistical analysis considering risk. We have to do EVERY bird, so 36 blood tests. Haven't got the prices yet but sounds expensive. At this stage the flock is closed. Nothing in (obviously), or out (why?) as required by regulations.
The results are returned and if negative the vet completes the export paperwork. On the day of departure he revisits the flocks checking that they are still in good health. If so he issues me with the export certificate with his special stamp on it. He keeps a copy and sends one by fax immediately to DEFRA at Carlisle. The major obsticle (apart from the Olympics) is an outbreak of Newcastle Disease or Avian Flu. These coincide with duck and goose migration and he hopes we will miss them as we are leaving a few weeks before. If an outbreak occurs all poultry exports are banned. The UK then has to apply to the EU for a 'localisation' status. This means that if the outbreak is in say Lincolshire it only affects export from or through that County. Takes 10 days for that to be granted. If it's in Staffordshire or within 10 days of departure we're knackered!!
If anyone can think of anything I've missed or has any thoughts or questions please post. There was a lot to go through when the vet called and I, or he as it's his first domestic flock export, may have missed something. In which case I will update you and keep you informed of progress anyway.
The logistics are fairly straightforward at first glance. They will travel as groups in separate dog cages, overnight and through the morning. Hopefully to them it will be like a long windy Winter night. The van will have an air vent fitted in the roof and the windows will be blacked out. The coops will be in a large trailer behind. Journey time must be less than 12 hours otherwise they need to have a stop for food and water which would wake them all up and be chaotic !
Of course loading the birds them takes time, disassembling all the coops and runs and loading them takes time as does unloading and reassembling at the other end. This is the main problem because the journey time is on the limit as it is. Leaving coops behind isn't an option as they will certainly be stolen before we can return to collect them. Such is the nature of our neighbourhood. So the plan is to utilise the 4 coops we are leaving anyway, leaving just one to dismantle on the day. I will build 5 more with runs which will hold breeding sets of up to 6 large fowl. These will be 'rapid assembly' designs -coop and run 5 minutes initially, then another 15 minutes each for the finishing touches. Basically enough screws to hold together, birds in, then the rest of the screws to follow. The other coops we want to take will go into safe storage before departure, as will absolutely everything else not screwed down or dug in!
Now for the paperwork which is managed by the Carlisle Office not the local Stafford. There are three types of export -pets, domestic and commercial. The numbers dictate commercial, which requires a health system certified and maintained for at leat 12 months. But as we are running small separate breeding flocks DEFRA suggest TWO applications under the domestic system which is for less than 20 birds (so 19 or under). So we will export two flocks of 18 each. Caged and identified in the van as to which flock they belong. The vet (who is specially qualified for and only deals with poultry export and drives 30 miles to get here) is happy because they are also separated physically within the Orchard, which is divided into two sections.
Aside from the obvious information the following is needed:-
Full description of each flock -breeds, sex and quantities. Age helpful, names not necessary.
Full postal address of destination.
Written declaration that the birds have had no vaccinations at all. I think to have had them presents the possibility of being carriers and an acknowledgement that they are at risk in their present environment. The vet accepted that we have two hybrids that have had oral innoculation -that's OK as long as it wasn't administered on our site. Particular no's are vaccination against Avian Flu and Newcastle disease. More of this later.
Animal Health registration number and centre issuing it. Now this is compulsory if you have over 50 chickens and voluntary less than that. We did have 76 so we registered but could not export without it.
The next stage is blood tests. As the flock is less than 250 we only need the two chicken risk Salmonellas done, not the four human risk Salmonellas. There are hundreds of different ones in this group. The sample is based on statistical analysis considering risk. We have to do EVERY bird, so 36 blood tests. Haven't got the prices yet but sounds expensive. At this stage the flock is closed. Nothing in (obviously), or out (why?) as required by regulations.
The results are returned and if negative the vet completes the export paperwork. On the day of departure he revisits the flocks checking that they are still in good health. If so he issues me with the export certificate with his special stamp on it. He keeps a copy and sends one by fax immediately to DEFRA at Carlisle. The major obsticle (apart from the Olympics) is an outbreak of Newcastle Disease or Avian Flu. These coincide with duck and goose migration and he hopes we will miss them as we are leaving a few weeks before. If an outbreak occurs all poultry exports are banned. The UK then has to apply to the EU for a 'localisation' status. This means that if the outbreak is in say Lincolshire it only affects export from or through that County. Takes 10 days for that to be granted. If it's in Staffordshire or within 10 days of departure we're knackered!!
If anyone can think of anything I've missed or has any thoughts or questions please post. There was a lot to go through when the vet called and I, or he as it's his first domestic flock export, may have missed something. In which case I will update you and keep you informed of progress anyway.
but logistic nightmare
