Newcastle Disease trade restrictions lifted
Northern Ireland’s trade restrictions, introduced on 16 October 2006 following an outbreak of Newcastle Disease in Great Britain, have been lifted.
Almost 18,000 birds near Edinburgh were culled to help prevent the spread of a Newcastle disease outbreak confirmed there last month in a flock of grey partridges.
The Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) has indicated that general import licences have been re-instated from Thursday 23 November 2006, replacing the need for importers to obtain specific import licences. This returns the import position to that before the Newcastle disease outbreak.
As a result, importers of all live poultry, hatching eggs, ornamental fowl, captive birds or poultry/pigeon transport vehicles from Great Britain no longer need to apply to DARD to obtain a specific import licence before they can import any of the above consignments into Northern Ireland from Great Britain.
DARD General Licences apply to the importation of all fowl, turkeys, guinea fowl, ducks, geese, quail, pigeons, pheasants, partridge and ratites reared or kept in captivity for breeding, the production of meat or eggs for consumption or re-stocking supplies of game. They also apply to ornamental fowl returning from shows and poultry transport vehicles.
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