Background
According to current legislation, movements of poultry that originate or end in an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone or a Surveillance Zone must be appropriately licensed by the APHA before they can take place. For specific licences such as the movement of birds to slaughter, a veterinary inspection to determine the health status of the birds is a pre-requisite for issuing the licence.
This can place a considerable resource burden on local veterinary resource, particularly in locations where there have been a high number of cases in poultry. Additionally, some poultry keepers have raised biosecurity concerns about inviting additional personnel onto their poultry site.
During the 2022/23 AI outbreak, the APHA successfully trialled remote veterinary inspections for movement licensing as a way to reduce pressure on private veterinary resources. Poultry keepers could either video or live-stream an inspection with a suitable qualified veterinary inspector. Following up from the last AI season, Defra sought views on proposals to allow remote inspections on a permanent basis.