October 24, 2005

DEFRA issues decree for UK poultry to be registered

The UK's Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has issued a decree requiring commercial poultry keepers to register their animals, as part of increased monitoring efforts against bird flu. This move was also supported by the poultry industry.

While DEFRA, the National Farmers' Union, and individual poultry organisations have been holding information separately, no central database existed so far.

DEFRA's detailed contingency plan in preparation for an outbreak, was also expected to strengthen protection against the disease.

Information on locations and sizes of poultry businesses would be combined into the central register. This would enhance effective communication between keepers and help manage any outbreak.

DEFRA would begin inviting new registrations from poultry businesses within the next month.