Memorandum submitted by the Anglo Iberian
Cropper Association
I have read with interest the above draft and
would like to make the following comments.
The whole hobby of keeping pigeons of any sort
is in serious decline. There are very few young people coming
into our wonderful pasttime, this is due in part to the youngsters
having better activities and the whole computer related world
at their finger tips.
We as a fancy are also suffering badly from
restrictions on keeping pigeons in the gardens of the newly built
houses, so no one can start back with pigeons even if they had
them as a child with their father and have now left the family
home, married and settled down and looking for a hobby which is
a real crazy situation as any one can keep and breed German Shepherds,
one stud dog and three brood bitches would give you 30/40 barking
pups a year?
The bill has some very good points but there
must be some strict guidelines as some vindictive neighbours could
waste the time of officials and put the livestock keeper under
unjustified stress and heartache because they can see a way of
getting rid of the livestock next door.
If we are cleaning up the bill and making it
easier to prosecute offenders, we need to clean up the feed suppliers
operation? How would the law stand on a third party harming or
putting at risk your stock? The reason being I had an ordeal with
contaminated feed (rat droppings) from Charnwood Milling Company
of Framlingham Suffolk a few years ago and lost a lot of stock
with salmonellosis! paratyphoid. This has still not been rectified
to my satisfaction as most of my life's work was destroyed due
to someone else's failure to maintain strict quality control on
animal feed stuff. As you are aware our poultry industry is also
suffering badly with the same problem of salmonella as with BSE
and foot and mouth. It is the feed that is the carrier in the
first instance.
I attended a meeting in Coventry held by the
Parrot Society on the Draft and felt that more consultation should
be considered to correct any fears that the fanciers like myself
have as to where we fit into the grand scheme of things. From
what has been said and from what I have read there is nothing
that a responsible livestock breeder should have any real concern
but, I keep a breed of pigeon called the Birmingham Roller which
was developed in and around the black country in the west midlands.
This delightful pigeon throws backward sommersaults in the air
while flying. This is a trait that has been selectively bred for
over the past 100 years or so and we hold flying competitions
in the summer time around the country. These pigeons are not trained
to do this wonderful display but we do select the best performer
and pair them together in the hope that we get one better as with
racehorses best to best. Where would these pigeons be put in the
bill as they are not circus performers. Would we need to be on
a register?
August 2004
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