Additional guidance notes for wildfowl and pheasant keepers
You should read these guidance notes together with the general guidance notes for importers and
exporters (GN1), and the general guidance notes for commercial use within the European Union (GN2), where appropriate.
These notes are only for guidance and are not a full statement of the law. If you need points of law to be explained, you should get independent legal advice.
This page is available as a downloadable document here 
- Introduction
- Specimen specific
certificates
- Transaction specific certificates
- Commercial use of wild birds
- General sale exemptions
- Marking requirements
- Exemptions from marking
- Gifts
- Wildfowl and pheasants listed in annexes A to D
Introduction
Wildfowl and pheasant listed on Annex A and B of the CITES Regulations will require permits if you intend to import or (re) export them. Exported Annex C specimens require a certificate of origin issued by us while imports require a self completed certificate, that should be presented to Customs at the time of importation. Information on importing and exporting is given in Guidance Note 1.
You do not need any certificate issued by us simply to possess a CITES specimen. But for birds listed on Annex A, buying, offering to buy, obtaining for commercial purposes, keeping for sale, offering for sale, transporting for sale and exchange, as well as display and actual sale are all considered commercial activities for which a certificate must have been issued.
These are generally known as Article 10 exemption certificates. There are two types, Specimen-specificcertificates (SSCs) and Transaction Specific Certificates (TSCs).
Specimen-specific certificates (SSCs)
If you are a breeder, we may issue you with ‘oneoff’ certificates for birds bred in captivity. These are know as Specimen Specific Certificates and are a type of Article 10. They are valid for all commercial uses through out the EU. Under the CITES regulations ‘captive breeding’ is more involved than just breeding in a cage, aviary or enclosure and you should ask us if you not sure if the specimen you intend to import would be considered captive bred.
We may also issue preissued or semicomplete certificates for you to fill in when the specimens hatch. For these certificates you must keep accurate breeding records and make them available for inspection.
Transaction specific certificates (TSCs)
We may decide that it is in the interest of the conservation, where there are welfare implications, or when a specimen is not correctly marked, to restrict a certificate to a specific holder. In these cases, we may issue a transaction specific certificate instead of a Specimen specific certificate. These will say what they may be used for, but they usually restrict the type of commercial use, and may only be used by the person named on them.
You can get more information on both these types of certificate, including how to apply, in Guidance Note 2.
Commercial use of wild disabled birds
We will not normally allow you to sell wild disabled birds, although we may make exceptions for research, breeding or educational purposes that we believe will benefit the conservation of the species concerned. We will refer these applications to the UK CITES scientific authority for advice. If the bird is disabled we may issue an Article 10 certificate for limited commercial use.
When you apply you will need to supply the following information :
- Details of when and how the bird was disabled, the nature of its injuries and any identifying features including details of any ring, tag, microchip transponder and so on.
- Confirmation of how you obtained it (for example, by providing a copy of the logbook entry made when the bird was first brought in for rehabilitation). This should give the name of the person who rescued it, the nature of the injuries, where it was found, who brought it in, and why it cannot be returned to the wild.
- A letter from a vet, or other suitably qualified person, confirming that the bird cannot be returned to the wild.
- Details of the breeding, research or educational project in which the bird is to be used. We need to know the aims of the project, what success has been achieved with this or similar species in the past, and how the project will benefit the conservation of the species. Any documents you have will help us make our decision.
We recognise that keepers play a valuable part in providing a suitable place of rescue for injured birds, so we may consider applications for certificates allowing birds to be used or displayed for limited commercial purposes. We will also refer applications for these certificates to our scientific advisors for conservation advice. More information on wild disabled birds is available in Guidance Note 13.
General sale exemptions
You may not need a certificate for some specimens. There are EU wide general exemptions for :
- selling stuffed birds bought before 1 June 1947. These are considered antiques. More information about antiques is available in Guidance Note 7.
- some species of commonlybred birds (marked with an asterisk in the attached appendix), as long as the specimens have been bred in captivity.
Marking requirements
Annex A birds that are being used for commercial purposes, must be permanently and uniquely marked.
- Currently, birds bred in captivity must be marked with a close ring or, if this is not possible due to the physical or behavioral characteristics of the specimen concerned, an unalterable microchip that meets ISO Standards 11784:1996 and 11785:1996 (E).
- Birds taken from the wild, or whose origin is unknown, must be marked with a microchip as above, or if this is not possible due to the physical or behavioral characteristics of the specimen, a ring, band, tag, tattoo, or other appropriate method.
- All information the mark contains, and all microchip codes and related technical information, will be recorded on the permit or certificate for that specimen.
Specimens that are being kept, transported, displayed or used for commercial purposes, as well as those that are being sold, must be marked.
Exemptions from marking
You may not have to mark specimens if you can send us evidence that the physical characteristics of the specimens mean that any method of marking would harm the specimen. We will record this information in box 20 of the sale certificate. If marking can be safely carried out at a later date, we may issue a certificate with a special condition.
Gifts
There are currently no controls on keeping annex A specimens for noncommercial purposes, so you do not need a certificate if you plan to give these specimens away. However, if the person receiving them plans to use the specimen for commercial purposes, he or she will need to apply for a certificate for that purpose. We cannot backdate these certificates so they must apply for one before they receive the specimen. Anyone who receives a specimen as a gift should ask the person who gave it to them for written details of its origin, as we will need this information if the new owner ever applies for a certificate.
Wildfowl and pheasants listed in annexes A to D
A list of Wildfowl and pheasants listed in annexes A to D is available here and as part of the downloadable version of this page.
Page last modified:22 February 2008
Page published:22 February 2008