At 5 pm on Monday 12th February I sought an update from the policy team at DEFRA regarding lifting of restrictions. I was advised that the incident in Suffolk was going well and, all things being equal, we could expect an announcement in about 2 weeks time that would in effect let bird gatherings (sales, shows, racing etc where birds are from more than one loft) be reinstated. It was also hopeful that an announcement on continental racing be made at the same time. So far so good! I went home, watched the BBC 6o/c news and nearly fell off the settee. David Miliband, the Secretary of State announced that processing would recommence at the Bernard Matthews farm on Tuesday.

I could not wait to get to work on Tuesday as there were several questions that I believed DEFRA needed to answer. The e mail I sent to the Deputy Chief Vet, copied to everyone in the stakeholder poultry group of which we are a member, said “I have to say that I have found the announcement by David Miliband that processing at the Matthews plant can resume somewhat incredulous. Mr Milliband has also stated that "our investigation of the cause of the outbreak continues. Nothing I have been told changes the working hypothesis about the most likely route of transmission following the genetic sequencing results reported last Thursday, but all options remain under consideration"

Excuse me for feeling rather cynical here but it would seem that the might of a large regional producer sat right in the middle of an infected premises is getting special dispensation to continue its financial activities. What about all the other activities, financial as well as social, in other parts of the unaffected country? I am sure that my colleagues in the Stakeholder Group would agree that their financial activities have been curtailed by the ban on gatherings. My members will draw the same conclusions.

When then can we expect the current restrictions in the unaffected rest of the UK to be lifted? From where I am sitting there is little risk from AI because if Matthews' plant is able to restart its activities yet you do not know for sure where the transmission came from, what sort off signal is that sending to Stakeholders? I would be interested to hear other stakeholder comments.”

I immediately received several e mails and one phone call from stakeholders offering support for my comments. As we go to press, no word yet from DEFRA. Watch this space!

Peter Bryant
General Manager
The Royal Pigeon Racing Association