Form

Licence conditions: hold a poultry gathering

Updated 2 October 2025

Applies to England

1. The licensee is responsible for ensuring the conditions in this licence are complied with. 

2. Birds attending gatherings under this licence must be kept at premises in England. 

3. The licensee must notify APHA of any changes to the following information before the gathering: 

• details of the veterinary surgeon, including full name, contact address, email and telephone number;  
• details of the named bird expert designated, including full name, contact address and contact telephone number (applies to events that needs less risk mitigation)  

The notification must be made by email to: Outbreak.Licensing@apha.gov.uk 

4. The licensee must comply with any reasonable requests which an inspector may make of them to ensure that the requirements in this licence are met. 

5. Where the gathering involves regular dealing or remote or internet sales then the premises and any vehicle used by the licensee for the gathering of birds such a sale must be registered with APHA. (applies to events that needs less risk mitigation) 

6. The licensee must take all reasonable steps to prevent the spread of notifiable avian disease onto, within and off the premises where the gathering is held and that in the event of a disease outbreak or suspicion all birds attending the gathering are traceable.  

7. The licensee of any show or exhibition must provide biosecurity advice in advance of the gathering to all participants attending the gathering. This advice must include: 

(a) a recommendation that birds should be health-checked before travelling to the gathering; and 

(b) a recommendation that any birds travelling from the gathering to any premises (whether they are returning to premises of origin or going to a new location) should be: 

• isolated from other birds and mammals at that premises and, 
• health-monitored  

for at least 14 days afterwards.  

8. The licensee must ensure that no sales take place at the gathering, and that any bird brought to the gathering is brought there for the sole purpose of showing or exhibiting the bird. All birds must return to their premises of origin following the gathering. (applies to events that need more risk mitigation) 

9. The licensee must:  

(a) ensure that any cage, crate, basket, pens, receptacle or other container:  

• (i) is not permitted onto a gathering premises where the container is visibly contaminated with bird droppings or other material of bird origin, other than faeces produced during the transportation of the birds to the gathering 

• (ii) leaving a gathering is thoroughly cleansed and disinfected prior to departure 

• (iii) not removed from the premises used for the gathering by those attending the gathering are cleansed and disinfected as soon as reasonably practicable after the end of the gathering and in any case before they are used again 

(b) ensure that any areas on the premises (in Part 3 of this licence) contaminated with bird faeces, excretion, or bedding after unloading are promptly cleaned, and all hard surfaces are thoroughly cleansed and disinfected;  

(c) inform all participants of condition 9(a) and (b) in advance of the gathering through advertising literature, on entry forms or by any other appropriate means. 

10. The licensee must ensure that all solid surfaces exposed to birds or faecal material are thoroughly cleansed and disinfected as soon as reasonably practicable: 

• (i) after birds have left the gathering permitted under this licence, and  
• (ii) in any event before the next gathering at the premises.  
• (iii) if not, then a further gathering may not be held until authorised in writing by APHA. 

11. The licensee must ensure that during the gathering the birds do not come into contact with any wild birds. (applies to events that need more risk mitigation) 

12. The licensee must ensure that during the gathering all birds at the gathering are kept at least 50m from livestock at all times. (applies to events that need more risk mitigation) 

13. The licensee must ensure that: 

i) birds are not permitted to enter a gathering unless the participant declares that they do not originate from premises or areas which are under restrictions related to confirmation of a notifiable avian disease, including from any temporary disease control zone imposed by Ministers; and provide a valid CPH number to verify this;  

ii) a veterinary surgeon is available to attend at short notice, during the whole time that birds are present at the gathering;  

iii) they consult that veterinary surgeon if a bird at the gathering shows signs of ill-health or welfare problems;  

iv) a veterinary surgeon is present, with responsibility for inspecting the birds before they enter the gathering (applies to events that need more risk mitigation);  

v) they designate in writing a named bird expert with responsibility for inspecting birds before they enter and during the gathering (applies to events that needs less risk mitigation);  

vi) when a bird arrives at the premises where the gathering is held, the birds is isolated from all other birds and mammals at the premises until the isolated bird has been individually inspected by the named bird expert (applies to events that needs less risk mitigation) or nominated veterinarian (applies to events that need more risk mitigation);  

vii) any bird that fails the inspection and/or shows any clinical signs of avian notifiable disease during the gathering, is reported immediately to APHA. Any such bird must be kept isolated from all other birds at the gathering until it has been examined by an APHA veterinary inspector and written authority has been obtained from APHA permitting the bird to leave the premises;  

viii) all waste material, including any feed to which any birds have had access, bedding, droppings, bird carcases and/or other material of bird origin, that remains at the end of the gathering, is:

• disposed of so that birds (including wild birds) do not have access to it (this must include double-bagging, followed by secure removal by a suitably licensed waste operator); or 
• treated so as to remove the risk of transmission of disease;  

ix) cleansing and disinfection facilities (for example hand-washing facilities, disinfectant mats and foot-dips) are available to participants and visitors on site,  

x) participants adhere to good biosecurity practices;  

xi) anyone seen to be visibly contaminated with faecal material, feathers or other material of bird origin is refused entry to the bird area until such contamination has been removed. 

14. The gathering must not be located within any notifiable avian disease Protection Zone, Surveillance Zone, Temporary Control Zone, Captive Bird (Monitoring) Control Zone, Temporary Movement Restriction Zone or Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza Restricted Area. If such a zone is declared during the course of the gathering then the contingency plan arrangements (see condition 19 below) must be implemented immediately and advice sought from APHA. 

15. The licensee must not permit any participant entry to the gathering unless the person has completed and provided to the licensee a signed written declaration confirming: 

(a) that they have read and understood the biosecurity advice provided prior to the gathering and will comply with it;  

(b) that to the best of their knowledge all birds they bring to the gathering have not been in contact with any notifiable avian disease agents and do not show any signs of infection;  

(c) the address and CPH number of the premises of origin of the birds, with confirmation that the birds do not originate from a premises subject to restrictions under avian influenza legislation, or premises within a Protection Zone, Surveillance Zone, Temporary Control Zone, Temporary Movement Control Zone or other notifiable avian disease-controlled zone;  

(d) that no bird that they are bringing to the gathering has attended any other gathering within the preceding 14 days;  

(e) that the premises of origin of all such birds (with CPH number details) have been registered on the Kept Bird Register (for premises in England and Wales) or the Scottish Kept Birds Register (SKBR) for premises in Scotland and include evidence of registration. 

16. The licensee must make a record of all people who bring birds to their gathering, or take such birds from the gathering, and keep such record for at least 3 months following the gathering.  

17. The licensee must present these records when requested by an APHA inspector or Local Authority inspector. The record must include at least the following information in relation to each such person: 

• full name;  
• home address of the person including postcode;  
• details of premises of origin of the birds if different from the home address, including the CPH number of the premises of origin;  
• telephone numbers (landline and/or mobile);  
• email address (if available);  
• number and types of birds exhibited, re-homed, bought or sold;  
• details of the premises to which the birds are move to, following gathering if different from the premises of origin. 

The signed declaration(s) referred to in condition 15 must be kept alongside the record for the same period. 

18. The licensee must require as a condition of entry to the gathering, that all participants check their birds for disease prior to departure from the gathering. 

19. The licensee must keep the licence or a copy of it with them at all times during the licensed gathering. On demand by a veterinary inspector, or other officer of the Secretary of State, or by an inspector, the licensee must produce the licence or copy and allow a copy or extract to be taken and, on such demand, provide their name and address. 

20. Where the use of a disinfectant is required under this licence, the disinfectant must be approved under the Diseases of Animals (Approved Disinfectants) (England) Order 2007 (as amended) and used at the Diseases of Poultry Order and the Avian Influenza and Influenza of Avian Origin in Mammals Order (DoP, AI & IAOM) recommended rate. 

21. The licensee must have in place and submit to APHA along with this application a written contingency plan making arrangements for what will happen if there is suspicion or confirmation of a notifiable avian disease at the gathering. The plan must also be available for inspection during the gathering. The plan must cover: 

• how birds suspected of notifiable avian disease will be separated from other birds; and 
• 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; and 
• 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; and 
• a written attestation and signature confirming the plan has been discussed with and approved by a veterinarian.