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FURTHER NEWS from R.P.R.A. 11th April, 2006: -
AI UPDATE
Racing From France?
I got into work on Monday to find that the French Government has agreed to relax the ban on racing for its fanciers and from 1st May 06 the French fancy can resume racing. On the basis of this I have formally addressed this to DEFRA and requested that they relax the condition of British fanciers only flying within the British Isles (excluding the Channel Islands). I have already had a response form DEFRA who have stated that “changes in regulations in other Member States do not, in themselves, impact on our own assessment of the risk. I have taken advice from the veterinary experts and confirmed that our risk assessment remains unchanged that we feel that the risk is too significant to permit pigeon races from locations outside the British Isles at the moment due to the continuing danger of undetected infection from areas so recently infected.” This will certainly rule out any racing from France for May and possibly longer than this. Clearly until the situation stabilises both within the UK and on the continent there is little likelihood of DEFRA’s assessment changing. I will keep the situation under review.
Peter Bryant
General Manager
The Royal Pigeon Racing Association
-----Original
Message-----
From: Peter Bryant [mailto:peterbryant@rpra.org]
Sent: 10 April 2006 09:16
Subject:
feedback
Hi everyone
I would be grateful of any feedback over the coming weeks on how your clubs get on with DEFRA and/or Trading Standards checks etc. We have one excellent report back and also 2 of fanciers training with out having followed licence conditions. Feedback will give me ammunition should I need it that we are doing what are can to assist the situation.
I know that there was apparently someone on the TV news on Saturday spouting that racing pigeons should be kept in but I was also on 5 live news on Saturday morning saying exactly the opposite!
I have had news over the weekend that the French Government are allowing the FCF to start racing again from 1 May 06 and I will therefore be addressing this with DEFRA today. There is a meeting at DEFRA on Wednesday when I will also take the matter up but any request like this will be subject to a threat assessment which will take a week or more to be considered. Moreover the FCF will not be able to produce permits overnight and my staff here at Racing Support only have one pair of hands. They are working excessive hours at the moment just to keep you racing so no doubt French racing approval will only exacerbate this. Please bear this in mind. If we are given permission to go to France then there is still an inordinate amount of work to be done to start just the process.
Regards
Peter Bryant
General Manager
The Royal Pigeon Racing Association
The Reddings
near Cheltenham, Glos GL51 6RN
tel 01452 713529 fax 857119
-----Original
Message-----
From: Pipa Pigeon News [mailto:info@pipa.be]
Sent: 09 April 2006 20:34
To: sid.barkel@btconnect.com
Subject: Pigeon racing season in Belgium 2006...Will belgians be able to
race ? / New TOP AUCTION !
Dear pigeon fancier friend,
* The evolution of the avian
influenza in Europe is a little stabilising, but is still not finished, not at
all. Now also in UK one has found the deadly H5N1 virus, in Schotland.
What about pigeon racing in Belgium/Holland/ ... ?
Well, fanciers in Belgium can race pigeons already for a few weeks, but they can
only race in Belgium itself and cannot cross the border with France. So in
Belgium fanciers can only race very short races ( sprint races ).
In The Netherlands fanciers will be able to start racing pigeons from the 1st of May. It has also been decided that fanciers from the Netherlands are allowed to enter Belgium.
Now also France announced that fanciers will be allowed to race pigeons starting from the 1st of May, despite the avian influenza cases in France. So this could be a good sign for belgian and dutch pigeon racers as they will probably will be allowed to enter France starting from the 1st of May.
Notice of Meeting
There will be a committee meeting of the National Flying Club at the
Alveley Sports & Social Club, Alveley, Shropshire
on the 19th April, 2006 starting at 9.30am.
Agenda
1) Apologies.
2) Minutes of the previous meeting.
3) Matters arising.
4) Correspondence.
5) Avian influenza.
6) 2006 race program.
7) New members / debtors etc.
8) Any other business.
We shall update this page as soon as, and if any change in circumstances / legislation, may take place.
The following information was last updated on the 21/03/06.
In the first instance, the National Flying Club booked permits for the following race points: -
Date France. Belgium. Spain. Channel Islands
20th May. St. Malo. Ostend. Guernsey.
3rd June. St. Nazaire. Gent. Guernsey.
30th June. Tarbes. Herstal. San Sebastian. Guernsey.
15th July. Dax. Boom. Guernsey.
29th July Saintes. Beersel. Guernsey.
2nd Sept. St. Malo YB & OH. Ostend. Guernsey.
Germany was also being looked into via Linda at the R.P.R.A. offices.
Re North Road Racing, the committee passed at its 22nd February meeting that failing all South Road racing, the NFC will race from the North. On this point, the following permits have been booked: -
20th May Berwick
3rd June Perth
30th June Lerwick
15th July Fraserborough
29th July Thurso
2nd Sept. Berwick YB & OH.
The Race Programme was passed to be advertised / notified to members by the 15th April.
Spain is off, Guernsey is off for the season. Defra, are only allowing racing from within the British Isles,
see below.
A newsletter sent from the Pipa website in Belgium whom Dr. Carlo Gyselbrecht is a part of, dated the 12th March, stated the following: -
Dear pigeon
racer,
* The situation with the avian influenza changed a little in Belgium and The
Netherlands, there is hope again to race pigeons in the coming season !
Belgium and The Netherlands are still free of avian
influenza ; while the belgian government always allowed pigeon racers to
let their pigeons fly out, etc... ; In Holland, government did not allow it ;
But in the coming week, on wednesday, pigeon flyers in The Netherlands will
again be allowed to let their pigeons train around the loft. So that is good
news !
Also the chances are getting higher that France will allow the french pigeon
racers to let the racing season go on, starting from the beginning of May.
If this will be reality, than also the chance that
Belgium and Holland will be allowed to enter with their pigeons into France will
be higher. So there is hope again ! That means racing the racing season could go
on in 2006...
To stay informed about this avian influenza situation in Belgium, The
Netherlands, but also news from other countries, we advise you to check our
website regularly at
www.pipa.be . ( Left column )
Peter Bryant has sent a newsletter out, which will be in the fancy press on Thursday 23rd March, which partly states the following: -
Regarding racing from the continent I have received the following from DEFRA:
Pigeon racing - Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) statement
A SCoFCAH statement agreed on 8 March recommended that the decision to authorise pigeon races should be based on a risk assessment. In the light of this, we have reviewed our veterinary risk assessment which allows racing to take place within the British Isles (including the Republic of Ireland) but does not permit racing from another Member State. The assessment has not changed. Therefore it is highly unlikely that any pigeon racing from outside the British Isles will be permitted this season.
Members should check out the websites: - www.rpra.org and www.pipa.be as well as the DEFRA web pages. Keep checking this site for confirmation of the race program / first races and any changes.
Mr. S. Barkel, Secretary.