Home-based birdkeepers have just a matter of weeks to comply with a new law requiring them to be registered.
The threshold for mandatory registration will be reduced from 50 birds to one, which means all poultry and captive bird keepers will be legally required to register their birds. Owners will also be required to review their poultry register entry annually to ensure their details are up to date. Birdkeepers will be required to register their flocks from October 1 but are being urged to complete the online forms ahead of the deadline. Birds such as budgies, parrots and canaries which are kept indoors or in a dedicated ‘bird house’ without any outside access will be exempt.
I registered my birds through Defra's website with the process only taking a couple of minutes. The form can be downloaded and completed on your computer and you can then email it direct to Defra using the address given.