Form

Bird gatherings: apply for a specific licence for poultry or other captive birds

Apply for a specific licence to hold a bird gathering of poultry or other captive birds in England.

• From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
• Published: 6 August 2025
• Last updated: 15 May 2026
  Show all updates

  1. 15 May 2026

     Updated the wording for the contingency plan conditions on the page 'Licence conditions: hold a gathering of poultry or other captive birds' and 'How to complete the licence application form.'

  2. 1 May 2026

     Added a link to guidance on the written contingency plan that organisers of bird gatherings are required to submit with their licence application and keep.

  3. 27 February 2026

     This specific licence now applies only to galliformes, anseriformes and ratites. We have updated the licence conditions and guidance to reflect this change. You can use the general licence to hold a gathering including columbiformes, passeriformes, psittaciformes and birds of prey.

  4. 6 February 2026

     We have updated the application form and related pages to ensure that APHA receives all the information they need to process licence applications. Following feedback, we have also updated the guidance on licence conditions to make it clearer.

  5. 8 December 2025

     This specific licence now applies to gatherings of poultry and other captive birds (passeriformes, columbiformes and ratites), excluding racing pigeons. Updated the application form, guidance for how to complete the application form and the template conditions of the licence.

  6. 3 November 2025

     Updated the licence conditions 14 and 15 (c). Poultry bird gatherings must not be held in, or have birds that originate from a premises in, an area of the avian influenza prevention zone (AIPZ) where you must house your birds, or any other notifiable avian disease control zone.

  7. 10 October 2025

     Added EXD660, the application form for a licence to hold poultry gatherings, and updated the guidance on how to complete the form.

  8. 2 October 2025

     Updated guidance on how to apply for a licence to hold a bird gathering of poultry in England.

  9. 6 August 2025

     First published.

Applies to England

Documents

How to complete the licence application form: gatherings of poultry or other captive birds

HTML

Licence conditions: hold a gathering of poultry or other captive birds

HTML

Application form: for licence to hold a gathering of poultry or other captive birds (EXD660)

PDF, 335 KB, 4 pages

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Details

Due to the current bird flu risk levels, there is a higher than usual risk to poultry and other captive birds. This means that it is harder to avoid (mitigate) the risks associated with gatherings and therefore less likely that APHA will be able to issue specific licences.

APHA need 20 days to consider your application, once they have received all the required documentation.

You can apply for a licence further in advance.

Before you apply for this licence you should: 

• read the rules on bird gathering in England to check if you can apply for this specific licence 
• check you will be able to meet the licence conditions at your event

1. Download and complete the licence application form.

2. At least 20 days before your event, email your application form to APHA at CSCOneHealthAGO@apha.gov.uk. Include a copy of your written contingency plan, which must have been signed by a vet.

3. APHA will consider your application and any risks associated with the proposed gathering based on the information you give in your licence application. They will contact you by email if they require further information.

4. APHA will contact you by email to tell you the outcome of your application.  

If the risks can be mitigated (reduced), APHA may give you an ‘agreement in principle’. This means you may be able to hold your gathering, but it does not guarantee it.

APHA will reassess the risks 7 days before your event and grant you the licence if the risks can still be mitigated. APHA will grant you the licence no more than 7 days before the gathering is due to take place.

If the risks cannot be sufficiently mitigated, APHA will reject your application.

Get help 

If you need help completing the form, contact the APHA Animal Gathering Orders team. 

Email: CSCOneHealthAGO@apha.gov.uk