British poultry register tops 250m birds

During the first year of the register 23,791 premises signed up, totalling 258,659,920 birds.

In England, Scotland and Wales poultry keepers must register by law if they own or are responsible for poultry premises with 50 or more birds. Poultry keepers with less than 50 birds are encouraged to register voluntarily.

Poultry keepers are required to notify DEFRA of any significant changes in their birds, to keep the register fully up-to-date. In 2006, the register allowed DEFRA to communicate directly with poultry keepers, quickly and effectively.

Identifying where poultry are kept means that if a disease outbreak occurs, resources can be targeted where they are most needed. The database will be another safeguard to help identify an outbreak and limit its spread.