Form

How to complete the licence application form: ratite gathering

Published 6 August 2025

Applies to England

The form allows you to apply for a licence to hold a ratite gathering. If you are planning to hold more than one gathering, you have to apply separately for each event.  

You must complete all sections in parts 1 and 2 of the form.  

If possible, you should email your application to APHA at least 10 days before the event.

Part 1 

Name of person requesting licence  

The licence must be requested and signed by the person responsible for organising the gathering. The applicant will remain responsible for compliance with the licence conditions as detailed in the licence annex.  

You should include your contact details. We will use them to contact you if we have any questions about your application.

Address where the gathering will occur  

We need to be able to check if there are specific restrictions in place on the premises. We will determine what can and cannot happen based on this information.  

Whilst not essential, administration time to process your application may be reduced if you can provide the CPH number for the premises (if applicable).

You must tell us the date you plan to hold the event as it allows us to prioritise the processing of applications.

Type of gathering

We need to know the type of gathering that you are applying for to make sure that we issue the appropriate licence for your event.

Details of birds to be gathered

You should be as detailed as possible in this section, including the: 

• types of birds gathering  
• anticipated number of birds to be gathered

Name of veterinary surgeon and named of designated bird expert

You must tell us the name and contact details of the veterinary surgeon that you will consult if any birds at the gathering show any signs of ill-health or welfare problems.  

You must also provide the name and contact details of the designated bird expert that will be responsible for individually inspecting birds at the gathering. This individual must be appointed by the applicant (the organiser of the gathering) and should be an experienced bird keeper, specifically with knowledge of the species attending the event. They must be sufficiently skilled to recognise signs of ill-health in the birds.

Disinfectants

Provide information on the type of government-approved disinfectant that you plan to use at the gathering. 

You can read a list of Defra-approved disinfectants for use against poultry diseases.

Part 2 

If any part of the declaration is incomplete, we will be unable to process your application.

Contingency plan 

When you send your licence application form to APHA, you need to include a written contingency plan that makes arrangements for what will happen if there is suspicion or confirmation of a notifiable avian disease at the gathering. The plan must cover:  

• how birds suspected of notifiable avian disease will be separated from other birds 
• where notifiable avian disease is suspected at the gathering, how birds will be kept at the premises until an APHA Veterinary Inspector has given instructions for birds to leave the premises 
• arrangements to ensure that birds remain at the gathering premises if movements off the premises are restricted because the gathering subsequently becomes located in an avian notifiable disease controlled zone 
• a written attestation and signature confirming the plan has been discussed with and approved by a veterinarian

Get help

If you need help completing the form, contact the APHA Licensing team.  

Email outbreak.licensing@apha.gov.uk