Poultry Health Scheme: how to register
Find out when you must register for the Poultry Health Scheme, who runs the scheme and how much it costs to join.
Who needs to register
You must be a member of the Poultry Health Scheme if you want to:
- export more than 20 birds or hatching eggs to an EU member state (as long as your business meets EU animal health and welfare rules)
- sell birds or eggs to other scheme members
- export to countries that require compliance with EU legislation
Under the scheme you can only export live poultry and hatching eggs to an EU member state if you’ve held your flock for more than 6 weeks.
To export to some countries outside the EU, you may also have to be a PHS member. To find out if you need PHS membership, check the wording of the export health certificate (EHC) for the destination country you want to export to.
You can find more information on the scheme in the
How to join the Poultry Health Scheme
You can join the scheme as an individual or company - you must have a registered business address. If you have several business addresses, you must register each one.
Membership lasts for one year and can be renewed annually.
You can withdraw from the scheme at any time but you will not be entitled to a refund on your registration or membership fees.
There are different categories of membership, depending on your type of business. They are:
- flock
- hatchery
- combined flock and hatchery
To join the Poultry Health Scheme, contact the team at Worcester.
Poultry Health Scheme Team
Customer Service Centre – One Health
Level 1, County Hall
Spetchley Road
Worcester
WR5 2NP
Telephone: 03000 200 301
Email: CSCOneHealthPHS@apha.gov.uk
What happens once you’ve applied
Once the Poultry Health Scheme Team has received your application, they’ll send a vet to inspect your premises and check they are satisfactory.
See the sections C, D and E for more details. An Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) vet will carry out the initial inspection but renewal inspections can be by APHA or your own vet.
The APHA vet will recommend any changes you must make to your premises or working methods to be accepted as a member.
You must keep detailed records and have a standard operating procedure (SOP) for inspection at any time.
If the APHA vet approves your premises and working methods, you will be asked to pay the annual membership fee and vet inspection fee.
Membership fees
There is a fee for:
- registration
- approval
- renewal
The fees consist of a fixed administration charge, plus a variable charge for the APHA vet’s time. The vet charge is calculated on the actual vet time taken.
Fees: business registration and approval
| Activity | Variable fee £ | Fixed fee £ |
|---|---|---|
| APHA vet time to license or approve for Poultry Health Scheme (fee for per quarter hour or part quarter hour) | 16 | |
| APHA vet travel time (fee for per quarter hour or part quarter hour to a maximum of £126) | 21 | |
| Annual registration as a Poultry Health Scheme member | 55 | |
| First year approval of scheme member’s flock or hatchery | 27 | |
| First year approval of a scheme member’s combined flock and hatchery, on one site, inspection by an APHA vet | 27 | |
| Annual renewal of a scheme member’s flock or hatchery or combined flock and hatchery, on one site, inspection by a veterinary surgeon who is not an APHA vet | 54 | |
| Annual renewal of a scheme member’s flock or hatchery or combined flock and hatchery, additional site, inspection by a veterinary surgeon who is not an APHA vet | 29 | |
| Annual renewal of a scheme member’s flock or hatchery or combined flock and hatchery, on one site, inspection by an APHA vet | 56 | |
| Annual renewal of a scheme member’s combined flock and hatchery, additional site, inspection by an APHA vet | 31 |
Fees: laboratory operators approval
| Activity | Fixed fee £ | Variable fee £ |
|---|---|---|
| Application for an initial laboratory approval or annual renewal of a laboratory approval | 73 | |
| Proficiency test for Salmonella bacteriology (pullorum, gallinarum and arizonae) | 131 per test | |
| Proficiency test for Salmonella serology (pullorum, gallinarum) | 321 per test | |
| Proficiency test for Mycoplasma chicken serology (gallisepticum) | 321 per test | |
| Proficiency test for Mycoplasma culture (gallisepticum and meleagridis) | 281 per test | |
| Proficiency test for Mycoplasma turkey serology (gallisepticum and meleagridis) | 336 per test |
Last updated 17 April 2019 + show all updates
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Updated scheme contact details
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Update to Fees
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AHVLA documents have been re-assigned to the new Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
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Updated contact details for queries and correspondence about the Poultry Health Scheme
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First published.
