Veterinary surveillance: Great Britain Poultry Register – About Verification Reference Codes
Although the Poultry Register holds a fairly simple set of data regarding poultry keepers and premises, the relationships between registered individuals and premises can become quite complex. For instance
- A keeper can be responsible for several premises
- More than one keeper can be associated with a single premises
- The keeper is not necessarily the owner of the premises or the poultry on it: the owner(s) may also be registered
- Agents may be assigned to act for keepers
However, the Poultry Register only recognises one individual as the registered keeper for a premises. It is essential that we have one person who can be identified as the point of contact for a premises, regardless of how many others are associated with that premises.
Once an individual has registered on the on-line system, a means to link them to premises is required: one which ensures that only persons legitimately associated with a premises can link to that premises. This is controlled via the ‘Verification Reference Code’ (VRC): this code is initially sent by post to the registered keeper of a premises. A VRC can be used only once to link an individual to a premises: the first VRC would typically be used by the keeper who receives it.
If further individuals need to link to a premises, one or more additional VRCs may be requested by telephoning the Poultry Register. These VRCs are always sent to the registered keeper, who is then responsible for passing them on to the other individuals.
So if, for example, you are the owner of a poultry premises, but not the registered keeper, you can register for the on-line service, but you will need a VRC to link to your premises. You can request a VRC to allow you to do this, but the VRC will be sent to the registered keeper: You need to inform the keeper of this, and ensure that the code is then given to you.
If you have any other queries regarding on-line registration and the use of Verification Reference Codes, please contact the Poultry Register Helpline on 0800 634 1112.
Page last modified:
28 August, 2008