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Poultry Register
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
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Anyone who keeps poultry in Ireland must register their premises with the Department of Agriculture. This is a legal requirement under Irish law. Legislation on registration can be found here.
The requirement to register applies to all poultry premises, from large commercial poultry holdings to premises with only 1 or 2 birds such as hobby or “backyard” poultry flocks.
Registering your premises and flock details is important, enabling the Department to contact you, if necessary, with information on poultry health and welfare in the event of a disease threat such as Avian Influenza.
People who keep other types of birds are also encouraged to register their premises even though this is not a legal requirement.
Poultry includes all birds that are reared or kept for the production of eggs, meat or other products and including breeding poultry. It also includes birds that are kept in order to restock game bird supplies. Examples of poultry that must be registered by law include:
| Chickens | Hens | Ducks |
| Turkeys | Geese | Pheasants |
| Quail | Guinea Fowl | Partridge |
| Grouse | Ostriches | Emus |
People who keep other types of captive birds are encouraged to register also as their birds are also susceptible to many of the diseases that affect poultry. Captive birds are birds that are kept in cages or enclosures but are not used for the production of eggs, meat or other products. These birds may be kept as pets, for showing and exhibiting or for racing for example. Examples of captive birds include:
| Birds of prey that are kept in captivity | Racing pigeons |
| Birds kept in zoos | Parrots |
| Fancy fowl not used for egg or meat production | Doves |
| Birds kept in pet shops | Any other bird kept in captivity that are not poultry |
Registration is quick and simple. There are 3 ways to register your poultry premises:
1. Register online, by completing an electronic form and submitting it directly to the Department.
or
2. Post a completed Poultry Registration Application Form (PR1 form) below to your local Regional Veterinary Office. Find contact details of your Local Regional Veterinary Office here
or
3. Telephone your Local Regional Veterinary Office and they will post a PR1 form out to you which you can fill in and return to them.
Poultry owners must keep their registration details up to date, including informing the Department if they no longer have poultry. Registration details can be updated using any of the methods listed above.
On registering with the Department you can opt into receiving text updates and advice from the Department in the event of a disease threat or outbreak.
Further information can be found by searching ‘avian influenza’ at www.gov.ie/agriculture