Is our sport doomed? This year, the Victorian Homing Association (VHA), the largest federation in Victoria, with a 125-year history, started the season with a record low 85 flyers. In the 1980s, the VHA had over 600 members. By the 1990s, this had dropped to 400. In the 2000s, membership was in the 200s. By 2010, membership was still over 100 but now by 2025 it is under 100 with just 85 competitors starting the season. In the VHA, fanciers can send up to 50 birds, however, the 85 fanciers competing in the first race sent just 2357 birds. This is an average of 28 birds per fancier. It is hard to believe but, in its heyday in the early 1990s, VHA members sent over 18,000 birds to a club race. This 87% drop in membership over 40 years is particularly evident since 2000 with the number of members halving every 10 years. This is obviously not sustainable. If the same trend continues, then by 2040, VHA membership will be less than 30 and racing as we know it today will no longer be able to continue. Although this figure is gloomy enough, it may well be an over-estimate as the membership decline is accelerated in future years due to our aging demographic. A reduction in numbers means that the expenses per member will rise. A smaller membership will face the same or rising costs, making the running of a race very expensive for each competitor, possibly prohibitively so. Not only will costs rise but the number of members available to do jobs will decline. Also, as race entries decrease, the percentage of pigeons lost will increase. There is no single or obvious answer to this but one thing that is certain is that, to survive, clubs and federations will need to combine to continue. As membership declines, our combined impact, the voice of pigeon racing in Australia, becomes quieter. This means that any representation we make to councils and governments that may affect our future becomes less significant. As such, it is increasingly important that we make good decisions now regarding our sport. One of these issues, with the potential to significantly impact our sport, is pigeon racing’s involvement in the federal disease control program.
Over the last few issues of the ARPJ, the Australian Government's PIC-based scheme to diagnose and control potential disease outbreaks has been discussed. This discussion has highlighted several major deficiencies in our sport, most importantly the spread of accurate information. If fanciers don’t subscribe to and read the ARPJ, then information must be emailed or posted to them. The situation is complicated by the fact that a significant number of our members do not use emails. This further compromises the spread of information. Even if there was an effective way of getting information out, we don’t have a state or federal list of fanciers. In Victoria and some areas, a list of club secretaries has been prepared. This is a start but effectively we don’t have a list of fanciers to send information to directly. In fact, the VRPB recently voted against establishing a state list of members. Updates from our state and federal bodies are scant, irregular and, in my opinion, don’t discuss the real immediate issues that affect our sport. In the absence of accurate information from these bodies, fanciers often rely on word of mouth and social media to get information. As a result, misinformation proliferates. The most recent example of all of this has come to a head at federation level in Melbourne and involves the compliance of fanciers with the government's disease-control guidelines.
2013 In 2013, PMV was diagnosed for the first time in Australia. The disease entered Australia through the deliberate action of a few, either uninformed or selfish, pigeon fanciers bypassing the legal importation process and smuggling some pigeons into Australia. I was the vet who saw the first cases and diagnosed it. The government swung into action and was keen to eradicate the disease. I had meetings with both the Victorian state Chief Veterinary Officer as well as the federal Chief Veterinary Officer in Canberra. The government imposed restrictions on bird movement and provided free testing. Vaccine use was controlled so that blood test results of vaccinated birds would not be confused with birds that had had the disease. Ag Vic vets spoke at various club and federation meetings. Unfortunately, pigeon fanciers did not take the advice or comply with the directives. As a result, the disease is now endemic and we all now have to live with PMV forever.
2017 In 2017, something started killing pigeons in Western Australia. The cause was unknown but it quickly became apparent that the problem was infectious. Samples were sent to Western Australia’s veterinary diagnostic labs, which began the long and expensive process of identifying the cause. Racing was cancelled. After a few weeks, pigeons stopped dying and local fanciers were keen to resume racing. Concerns were raised by some fanciers that, as it was short distances that had been cancelled and the long-distance races had still to be flown, this would give long-distance fanciers an unfair advantage in the aggregate. The fact that a highly infectious disease with a significant mortality rate was still undiagnosed and had the potential to spread seemed of less concern. Fanciers on the eastern seaboard followed events and, for the most part, thought it fortunate that the problem was confined to the western seaboard. They had “dodged a bullet”. Until the problem had been diagnosed, it was strongly recommended that no pigeons move from the west to the east. For some reason, this did not happen. Someone brought birds to Melbourne. The story went around that a particular fancier had brought birds across for sale in a squeaker sale and that introduced the disease. Who really knows? Either way, a vet working with me at my clinic identified the disease as being in Melbourne in late 2017. Once again, the government swung into action to help us. After a meeting I had with the new state Chief Veterinary Officer at Tullamarine in Melbourne, the government’s diagnostic facility, Agribio, was made available. Over the coming months, including working through Christmas, the government diagnosed the problem as a disease new to science and the world – a Rota virus. To reach a diagnosis, which had included genetically sequencing the virus, the government had spent $75,000. The government had really ”come to the party” as far as helping pigeon racing. Again, advice was given by the government and again fanciers failed to comply. We are all familiar with the result. A fantastic opportunity to restrict and control the disease was lost and again we are now all living with the disease.
At the moment in Australia, the main diseases of concern that have the potential to affect our pigeons are Newcastle Disease and Avian Influenza (AI). Pigeon PMV and Rota are pigeon-only diseases. The government did what it could to help us diagnose and control them but, for a variety of reasons, including the difficulty in working with our sport, moved on.
Newcastle Disease and AI Newcastle Disease and Avian Influenza (AI) are different from pigeon PMV and Rota. They also affect chickens. Chickens are a multi-billion dollar industry. Also, AI can make people sick and can kill them. If these diseases get into Australia, they will be eradicated and, if pigeons get in the way of doing this, they will be of lesser concern. One should remember that, when a disease that has a similar effect on ruminants (such as sheep and cattle), got into the UK, its eradication was so aggressive that it involved the near-extinction of some breeds of sheep. If Newcastle Disease or a nasty strain of AI gets into Australia, we definitely want to have “a seat at the table”.
The current situation Unfortunately, we do not come from a strong vantage point with our small membership, our failure to work with the government in earlier disease outbreaks, our inability to supply accurate state and federal membership numbers, the inability to contact members efficiently, the lack of a representative body that has the confidence of all members, and the ongoing issues of our members not complying with the most basic of the government's disease control recommendations and indeed legal requirements, that fanciers obtain a PIC. It is totally understandable that the government would not include us in any future decisions that may involve our sport or indeed listen to anything we might say. Who could blame them?
Selfish fanciers I believe that fanciers who do not get a PIC are not only ill-informed but selfish. They fear that in some way the government will interfere with their pigeon activity. They are frightened that, if their birds get sick, the government will interfere. They don’t want their birds to be quarantined or, in an exceptional circumstance, killed but, in the same breath, decry other fanciers who have disease in their birds, don’t let anyone know or, worse still, toss or race them, in the process exposing their birds to disease.
Getting a PIC is the responsible thing to do. It enables the rapid identification and most effective control of disease so that, unlike what happened with PMV and Rota, our sport is minimally impacted. Anyone who does not get a PIC is just thinking of themselves and not the sport. Also, as explained in earlier ARPJs, having a PIC makes it easier for the diagnostic costs involved in a disease outbreak in a loft to be covered by the Significant Disease Investigation (SDI) program, in the process saving the fancier hundreds of dollars. The irony, therefore, is that, in not getting a PIC, fanciers hurt themselves.
The VRPB released the minutes of its meeting in June. Quite frankly, I find the comments shocking. They recommend non-compliance with the law and not working with the government to control disease. The minutes include the following:-
Report on PIC by Andrew Demidowski to the VRPB
PIC Property Investigation Code with Agriculture Victoria
I have undertaken an investigation into whether the VRPB should recommend for racing pigeon flyers in Victoria to apply for a PIC (property Investigation Code) through the Agriculture Victoria
Pics are used by Agriculture Victoria for tracing and controlling diseases and residue problems that may be detected.
An individual can apply for a PIC for free through the Department of Agriculture at pic.agriculture.vic.gov.au
It states that you must have a PIC if you own more than 50 domesticated pigeons. However, I cannot find any reference in either the Livestock Disease Control Act 1994 or Livestock Control Regulation 2017 that says you must do this.
The Livestock Control Regulation 2017 appears to apply to primary producers and does not mention pigeons. Also, the selling of livestock does not include pigeons.
Summary PICs are used by the Victorian Government to control diseases with animals and are an excellent way to manage any outbreaks.
However, the legislation that manages this issue does not appear to relate to racing pigeons and relates more to livestock
If pigeons are taken to the vet and are found to have paramyxovirus type 1 this disease is notifiable in Victoria.
From reading the Agriculture Victoria website it is unclear whether Rota virus is a notifiable disease (but probably is)
Once Agriculture Victoria is notified by the Laboratory or Vet that your loft has paramyxovirus the Department is notified and will make you apply for a PIC.
Recommendation Agriculture Victoria is responsible for animal welfare in Victoria. The legislation that underpins its responsibility appears to manage beef, dairy, honey bees,horses, pigs, poultry and eggs and sheep. It does not directly appear to be responsible racing pigeons.
The use of PICs for disease management by Agriculture Victoria is a useful tool to manage notifiable pigeon diseases. It is however unclear whether applying for a PIC is mandatory as the Livestock Disease Act and subsequent Regulation does not mention pigeons as its responsibility.
For this reason, I would recommend that the application for a PIC with Agriculture remain as voluntary.
Andrew Demidowski
Secretary
Victorian Racing Pigeon Body
It was unanimously agreed that the VRPB should not recommend that members of racing pigeon clubs in Victoria apply for PICs with Agriculture Victoria. This application should remain voluntary.
Charles Hider advised that several decades ago Tommy Meehan a well-known VHA flyer had all his pigeons seized and destroyed by the Department of Agriculture before he could make an intervention via the Court system. He did not know if the same action would still be taken today by the same organisation so would prefer that any issues be initially be dealt with by the VRPB for a better outcome.
Tony Price advised that Dr Colin Walkers OAM main concern would be if Agriculture Victoria decided to have an exclusion zone to stop the bird flu from spreading. The attending members of the VRPB were of the opinion that the VRPB could directly contact the Secretary of the affected area to advise them of Agriculture Victoria’s directive.
As a result of the advice that the VHA received from the VRPB, the following was decided at the July VHA delegates' meeting.
Victorian Racing Pigeon Body (VRPB) – Andrew Demidowski Andrew advised that minutes from a meeting on 17th June 2025 was submitted to the VHA for distribution. In addition, these minutes are available on the VRPB website. Property investigation Code PIC – the advice was to leave PIC’s as voluntary. This issue was discussed at length by the executive and it was decided that the VRPB should not pursue this issue any further with Agriculture Victoria.
In my opinion, we have not had such a bad example of leadership in our sport for some time. I know that everyone is trying to do their best but ill-informed comments do the sport harm. Fortunately, the VHA is reconsidering its position and the VRPB is making further enquiries . In response I submitted the following to the VHA, which explains the situation.
Comments on recent VRPB minutes distributed by the VHA
Colin Walker The Australian Government operates a scheme that aims to rapidly identify outbreaks of disease and then bring those outbreaks under control. The scheme operates partially because of the huge financial importance to Australia of its agricultural industries but is also to the advantage of all owners of animals through providing assistance to them in keeping their animals healthy. To be effective the scheme requires the accurate identification of the location of properties where animals are kept and the participation of animal owners.
At the last two VHA delegates’ meetings, this scheme was discussed. Information that was presented to members unfortunately was not correct. As a result, I think, decisions that reflect poorly on the VHA and are not in the best interest of its members or the federation generally were made. As my name was included in this information several times, I feel compelled to comment.
PIC stands for Property Identification Code not Property Investigation Code as stated in the VHA latest minutes. The code is a series of 8 letters and numbers assigned to each property where animals are kept. To a trained eye it enables instant identification of the state, region and locality of a property.
It is a federal and state legal requirement that anyone owning more than 50 animals and certain birds, including pigeons, obtain a PIC. Please follow the link to the government documents detailing this requirement. The link is https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/farm-management/property-identification-codes. I have also attached a government document, which is included in the link, listing the animals and birds whose owners are required to have a PIC. The list includes pigeons. Although not rigorously enforced, it is the law that pigeon fanciers with more than 50 birds obtain a PIC.
In the VRPB minutes distributed by the VHA in June it states,
“It was unanimously agreed that the VRPB should not recommend that members of racing pigeon clubs in Victoria apply for PICs with Agriculture Victoria. This application should remain voluntary.”
I think it is not good for VHA members to be advised that obeying the law is “voluntary”.
The VHA minutes for July state that the VHA has advised the VRPB to discontinue discussions with the government regarding PICs stating that,
“Property investigation Code PIC – the advice was to leave PIC’s as voluntary. This issue was discussed at length by the executive and it was decided that the VRPB should not pursue this issue any further with Agriculture Victoria.”
If there is an outbreak of disease, such as Avian Influenza, there is always the possibility that our members will be impacted and possibly heavily. I feel that it is better if the sport is able to contribute and be involved in the decision-making process involved in such an outbreak. Indeed, the Agriculture Department welcomes this. I am in regular contact with veterinary colleagues involved with the diagnosis and control of disease. Some of these are in positions of authority within the Department of Agriculture. They have indicated that the department is keen to establish communications with the pigeon sport. The government prefers activities such as ours to be self-regulatory. We are supposedly the experts in what we do and the government looks to us to provide guidance for the activity. We need however to demonstrate that we are capable of doing this. This is why a single representative body, which has the confidence of members, can represent our interests and liaise with the government on matters that affect us, is so vital. A repeat of the confusion and misinformation that confounded the outbreaks of PMV in 2013 and Rota in 2017 should be avoided at all costs.
Charles Hider raises in the minutes the destruction of Tom Meehan’s pigeons and states that these days an injunction would be sought. The episode is probably the best example we have of what can happen when we don’t have representation and the pigeon sport is not involved in the decision-making process. The whole episode was a terrible mistake by the government and I would suggest that had there been an effective body representing the sport, with open communication channels with the government, the whole thing would never have happened in the first place.
In the VRPB minutes distributed by the VHA it states
“Tony Price advised that Dr Colin Walker’s main concern would be if Agriculture Victoria decided to have an exclusion zone to stop the bird flu from spreading.”
I don’t know where this comment came from. The establishment of exclusion zones is a vital part of disease control. This was summarised by me several months ago in the ARPJ. I have included this summary at the end of this communication.
In response to their concern about the establishment of protective exclusion zones designed to minimise the spread of disease the VRPB minutes then go on to say,
“The attending members of the VRPB were of the opinion that the VRPB could directly contact the Secretary of the affected area to advise them of Agriculture Victoria’s directive.”
This is a nonsense and shows a lack of understanding of the process. The Agriculture Department would not rely on local special interest groups such as pigeon clubs to notify members in something as serious as an outbreak of an exotic disease. It is the Agriculture Department’s responsibility to set up restriction zones and monitor bird movements so that quarantine restrictions are enforced. I believe, however, that the Agriculture Department would be keen to liaise with a representative body of the sport so that the most effective quarantine measures could be put in place. It goes without saying that providing quick and efficient control of a disease outbreak would minimize any disease’s effect on the sport.
Currently the only notifiable diseases of concern to the pigeon sport are Newcastle Disease and Avian Influenza. It was suggested in the minutes that Rota virus is probably a notifiable disease. It is not. Newcastle Disease affects all birds and fortunately does not occur in Australia. Newcastle Disease has the potential to cause millions if not billions of dollars worth of damage to the poultry industry. Pigeons can catch Newcastle Disease and it can cause high mortality in them. Pigeons that have the disease or are incubating or recovering from the disease can spread the disease. Avian Influenza causes severe disease in poultry and its presence in Australia would severely compromise Australia’s valuable export market. It is also important to remember that Avian Influenza can cause severe disease in people, which can be fatal. Although pigeons typically are relatively resistant to Avian Influenza they can spread the disease. If either disease entered Australia it would adversely affect pigeon racing and these effects could be extremely serious.
The discussion regarding PICs is decades old. Pigeon racing is a long way behind. In another livestock industry that I am associated with, it is routine for members to obtain a PIC and a representative body is already in place to liaise with the government and deal with disease outbreaks should they occur.
In addition to the obvious benefits of the rapid diagnosis and control of disease to the sport generally, there are also direct benefits to individual fanciers. As part of the overall scheme to control disease the government operates what is called a SDI (Significant Disease Investigation) program. Under this scheme if there are significant deaths in a loft and the symptoms displayed by the birds are consistent with Newcastle Disease, Avian Influenza or another exotic disease then the government will cover the costs involved in diagnosis. This means that the huge amount of diagnostic expertise and facilities available in the government can be available to fanciers for free. A fancier or the fancier’s vet can contact the local Agriculture Department veterinarian. If the government veterinarian deems that the outbreak meets the requirements of a SDI then the government will cover the costs. This decision can come in hours. The fancier simply leaves the samples necessary for diagnosis with his local vet, as he normally would, but there is no veterinary diagnostic charge.
As mentioned earlier the government is keen for activities such as ours to be self-regulatory. Essentially this means that our activity can look after itself and ensure that standards that would otherwise require the involvement of the government can be met by us. Unfortunately, I feel that, for pigeon racing in Victoria, self- regulation is a long long way away. The government has a scheme in place to help us maintain the health of our birds. Most fanciers are unaware of this scheme and many of those that are aware fail to understand the benefits to themselves and the sport generally. In fact there seems to be a reluctance and suspicion to participate. Although it is unlawful not to participate in the scheme (once more than 50 birds are kept) we have a state representative body that is currently recommending that complying with this law is voluntary. Something as simple as registering for a PIC to be part of the scheme has stimulated prolonged debate. The sport in Victoria does not even have a membership list.
I have always found the Agriculture Department very easy to work with. In recent communications they have indicated that they are keen to establish an open dialogue with the pigeon fanciers of Victoria. The Department is keen to work with Victorian pigeon fanciers to keep Victoria’s pigeons healthy. It is obviously an advantage to individual fanciers and the sport generally to control serious disease in our pigeons. As such, I believe, it is important to work with the Agriculture Department.
To this end, I feel that the advice of the VHA to its members should be that they should get a PIC. Members should also be made aware of the advantages to the sport generally of open dialogue with the Agriculture Department and also of the personal advantages to them of the SDI program. I also believe that the advice of the VRPB should be reviewed.
For further information I have included below sections from my article in the ARPJ for June 2025 on the benefits of a PIC and an update on Avian Influenza. Hopefully, this information will answer any further questions that our members may have. Essentially, we need to work with the government and obey the law, particularly as it is to the advantage of both individual fanciers and the sport generally.
I have advised the VRPB that “I am happy to have a one - off meeting with you guys to explain everything to you. In the meantime I would suggest you don’t release anything without getting me to read it first.”
I have also advised that the VRPB remove from the VRPB website the June minutes that advocate non-compliance with the government. My understanding is that after several months , two VHA delegates meetings, correspondence with me and being advised by the VHA president that the VRPB should remove it’s June minutes from the VRPB website that the few fanciers that make up the VRPB are having another meeting . Hopefully they will give some correct advice and the harm they have done can be reversed.
Fancier Concerns A number of fanciers have contacted me about this issue. Most of their concerns are due to a lack of access to accurate information and reinforce the need for the development of a state and federal membership list as a means of getting information to all fanciers efficiently and quickly. One fancier stated “I am worried that once the government gets a list of fanciers that councils will get this and cause problems for us.” This is not a concern. The Department of Agriculture is quite a different entity from any local council. Also, as some fanciers would be aware, solicitor Charles Hider and I attended a VCAT hearing sponsored by Victorian fanciers last year. We attended the VCAT hearing with the aim of separating pigeon racing from other bird-related activities so that council restrictions relating to these activities would no longer apply to pigeons. This was successful. In fact, it became very obvious before and during the hearing that the council (Darebin in this case) was very supportive of our proposal. The council did not want to pursue fanciers and clearly indicated that it usually only became involved if there were complaints. If this were to occur, it is reasonable to think that, if the council did receive a complaint against a fancier, it had to investigate. If it became aware that the fancier did not have a PIC (and as such was not complying with the government disease-control scheme), this would work against the fancier.
This is more than a little boring but I think it is important to repeat. The fact that this fancier raised this concern highlights a significant failing of the sport, namely the spread of information. The ARPJ is the only potential way of spreading information nationally. Many fanciers don’t subscribe. The state (VRPB) and federal bodies (ANRPB) release updates infrequently and, unfortunately, the information these contain is not always accurate and, in my opinion, do not deal with many of the real immediate issues that affect our sport. Even if they did, we don’t have state-wide or national lists of fanciers and so these bodies could not post or email updates. As stated last year, the VRPB voted against developing a state list of fanciers. The end result is that many fanciers remain uninformed, which then leads to comments such as this one.
An email I received from another concerned fancier stated “A friend of mine was recently reported by a veterinarian to the department of agriculture resulting in him having to register for a PIC.” This comment shows a complete misunderstanding of the system. I spoke to the fancier concerned and he was not reported. I have already explained this to him. The vet was endeavouring to keep the fancier's veterinary costs down by seeing if the testing would be covered by the SDI program. To be eligible for the government to cover diagnostic costs through the SDI at Agribio, a PIC is required. Because the fancier (like most fanciers) had not registered for a PIC, the vet was seeing if this could be done retrospectively to keep his costs down. As it turned out, the fancier's birds had Rota. Because the symptoms displayed by Rota are consistent with some exotic diseases, cases can be eligible to be covered by the SDI program. If the fancier had been aware of this, then, when his pigeons got sick, he could have contacted his local DPI vet, the investigation would have been covered by the SDI and he would have saved himself hundreds of dollars. The government is keen to do this sort of testing to demonstrate to its trading partners that Australia remains free of exotic diseases.
Another enquiry came from the secretary of a federation “I continue to review reference documents relating to the Departments ability to euthanise bird, lock down birds and quarantine infected areas and flight zones. Stay tuned.” To me this sounds a bit adversarial. We obviously want the Department of Agriculture to do what it can to diagnose and eradicate disease outbreaks so they minimally impact our sport. The people who develop these guidelines are experts. I have worked with them in the past and they are easy to deal with. They are looking for input from our sport and are looking to establish an open dialogue. It is important that we set ourselves up to make a worthwhile and significant contribution. It is to our advantage to work with them so that good decisions are made about the imposition of quarantine zones and, where unavoidable, the euthanasia of birds. Having the majority of fanciers non-compliant with the basic disease-control requirements, such as getting a PIC, does not help our situation.
I believe it is imperative that the current narrative of pigeon racers needs to change from “us” versus “them” to one of co-operation. The government is here to help us.
This enquiry from a secretary of a Melbourne metropolitan federation raises an additional concern. I find that some federation officials feel that, because they hold an office, they need to become an expert in a particular area. They do not. Worse still, some feel that they have become experts and will then give out advice to other fanciers in an area where they are not qualified. This information can be wrong. This spread of misinformation damages the sport. They think that their opinion regarding disease control is relevant. It is not. They think that, because they are a representative of a 30-member club or a 100-member federation, they are important, as far as state or national control of disease is concerned. They are not. Certainly have an input but leave the decisions to the real experts.
Another concern came from a fancier who was reluctant to get a PIC because he thought that he would have to register with the government the transfer of any of his birds to other fanciers. This is not the case. He is getting confused with the NLIS (National Livestock Identification Scheme). In Australia, cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs must be tagged with NLIS-accredited ear tags before being moved off a property. This applies to these animals being moved to a different property, being sold, or even kept as pets. If an animal is found to have a disease, its history can be traced. The scheme does not involve pigeons.
Summary
Do we want subsidised diagnostic work? Yes
Do we want quick diagnosis and control of disease so that our sport is minimally impacted? Yes
Do we want to be involved with government decisions that affect our pigeons? Yes
Do we want to obey the law? Yes
Do we want to be a non-compliant pariah? No
For those who missed last month
The Benefits of a PIC A significant part of Australia’s GDP is contributed by agriculture. Many of Australia’s overseas markets exist because of Australia’s disease-free status. The Australian government is keen to maintain these markets and give overseas buyers confidence that Australia’s disease-free status is persistent.
The Australian government does this in a number of ways:
During an Emergency Animal Disease response, the government must undertake a sufficient level of testing to reassure potential overseas markets that, if any diseases of concern were present, they would be detected and therefore providing “Proof of Freedom”. This involves test screening of various susceptible animal populations and the investigation of disease outbreaks where the symptoms could be associated with a disease of concern. The faster the government can provide Proof of Freedom, the faster the Emergency Animal Disease response can be controlled and restrictions can be eased.
Both during a response, and during ‘peace-time’, the government provides subsidised testing for Significant Disease Investigations (SDIs). In particular, if animals are experiencing high levels of sickness or death, this may warrant a Significant Disease Investigation (SDI). Once classified as requiring an SDI, the government will subsidise the cost of the veterinary testing to diagnose the cause of the problem. So, as an example, if in a pigeon loft several birds died and about a third of them had diarrhoea, the problem could be PMV, Rota, another virus, Salmonella or one of many other things. In this situation, the fancier could contact a veterinarian who would investigate the problem, undertake diagnostic tests subsidised by the SDI program, and make appropriate professional charges. Alternatively, the fancier could contact his local Agriculture Victoria (former DPI) officer and advise them of the problem. If the local officer deemed the problem to be significant and require an SDI, then the government vet may investigate further.
To streamline this process and allow for the more efficient tracking of animal locations and movements (and disease they may be carrying), livestock properties are identified by a Property Identification Code (PIC).
I have previously discussed the benefits of having a PIC on two occasions in my monthly ARPJ articles, but, unfortunately most fanciers remain unaware of this potential significant disease investigation service offered by the government. I am not sure how long the PIC system has been in place but I obtained a PIC about 25 years ago and have used the SDI service three times during this time when I have had sheep die. With other animal groups, and particularly with sheep breeders, where I can speak from personal experience, the system is recognised and in familiar use. In this regard, the pigeon sport in Australia is decades behind. Quite apart from everything else, it is a legal requirement to obtain a PIC if you keep any of the following livestock:
· more than 50 poultry (domesticated fowl, chickens, ducks, geese, turkey, guinea fowl, pigeons, quail or pheasants)
· more than 10 emus or ostriches.
To get a PIC is easy: just google Property Identification Code or something similar and follow the prompts from Agriculture Victoria. As the representative body, it falls to the VRPB to educate Victorian fanciers about the obligation to obtain a PIC and the potential financial savings to be had in the unfortunate event that there is a disease outbreak in their birds, should the disease outbreak be classified as significant and warrant an SDI. Having a PIC and the investigation of disease, and all the advantages that come with an accurate diagnosis, is not only of benefit to the fancier involved but is obviously of benefit to the sport, as well, enabling better control of disease generally and is something to be encouraged.
Avian Flu Update
Information from Agriculture Victoria Confirmed HPAI H7 in Victorian poultry farms in 2025. High-pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) H7N8 virus was confirmed as the cause of death of layer hens on a free-range commercial poultry property near Euroa on 8 February 2025. H7 Avian Influenza (bird flu) was confirmed at four poultry properties in northern Victoria near Euroa in February 2025. There have been no new disease detections since 24 February 2025 and good progress has been made on the depopulation of infected birds as well as disinfection and decontamination of affected properties. The affected farms have been quarantined, and movement controls are in place in surrounding areas to prohibit the movement of poultry and birds as well as poultry products and fomites to minimise the risk of disease spread. Poultry, other domestic birds and wild birds in the area will be closely monitored for any symptoms of Avian Influenza. A housing requirement has been introduced for bird owners with 50 birds or more in the restricted area to confine birds to prevent contact between wild birds and poultry. The business acted quickly to identify infection within the flock and put in place a voluntary quarantine before the confirmatory diagnosis. The business is now working closely with Agriculture Victoria officers to contain the outbreak. This incident highlights the importance of early reporting and the need to consider HPAI as a differential diagnosis whenever sudden onset and progression of illness with respiratory signs, or sudden death, occur in a flock or group of birds. Avian Influenza is a notifiable disease, and any suspect or confirmed cases must be reported to Agriculture Victoria on the all-hours Emergency Animal Disease hotline 1800 675 888
Avian Influenza, the disease in pigeons – an update
The media department of Agriculture Victoria has been of great assistance in getting the following information together and ensuring that information presented to Australian fanciers is correct.
Avian Influenza (AI) is caused by a virus that primarily causes a respiratory infection in birds. The virus is typically associated with coastal, sea birds, ducks and shorebirds, which are the global natural hosts of Avian Influenza. The virus is thought to enter Australia with these birds during their spring migrations. Different species of birds vary in their susceptibility to the virus. Commercial poultry are very susceptible. Infected birds shed the virus in their saliva, nasal secretions and droppings. Sometimes the virus is transmitted or “spills over” from wild birds into domestic poultry. When this happens, in Australia, the disease is controlled by isolating the outbreak in restricted exclusion zones. Domestic pigeons are relatively resistant to AI and when they do become infected may show mild signs.
The ability of pigeons to efficiently transmit highly pathogenic Avian Influenza viruses to other birds is considered unlikely but may change with the evolution of different strains of Avian Influenza over time. The persistent carrier state does not occur. In previous outbreaks, fanciers within exclusion zones have been required to confine their birds to their lofts and to adhere to legal housing restrictions placed on all domestic poultry, including pigeons, within the restricted area. Confined domestic pigeons have not been killed. At the same time racing organisations have not been allowed to release birds where the anticipated line of flight is over a restricted protective zone. While pigeons are unlikely to directly transmit Avian Influenza, they do play a role in disease transmission through dissemination of virus through the mechanical route (e.g. contamination of their feet/feathers with environmental sources of virus or through predation or scavenging of dead pigeons).
Because of the mild transient nature of the disease caused by Avian Influenza virus and the low viral loads that develop in them, domestic pigeons are not regarded as a significant AI risk to humans, however human infections can occur through close contact with infected birds. Avian Influenza is a pathogen notorious for evolving to adapt to new hosts and transmission mechanisms and ongoing surveillance of pigeons should be included in surveillance programs.
Avian Influenza is a notifiable disease, and any suspect cases of Avian Influenza must be reported to Agriculture Victoria on the all-hours Emergency Animal Disease hotline 1800 675 888.
All of the Avian Influenza outbreaks that have occurred in Australia have been the evolution of domestic strains of low pathogenic Avian Influenza in wild birds, which have evolved to become high pathogenic. The risk of incursion directly of a globally circulating high pathogenic strain (such as an H5N1) is likely to come from long-distance migratory birds returning to Australia, with millions of birds migrating from Asia and Australia each year. The main reason why this virus has not yet reached Australia is likely because there are no migratory duck species, the main movers of influenza viruses, migrating between East Asia and Australia. However, we do know that shorebirds and seabirds are hosts for influenza, so if HPAI H5N1 were to arrive in Australia, it would most likely arrive with them.
Pigeons are relatively resistant to Avian Influenza with the important word being “relatively”. Pre-2003 we thought there was total resistance in pigeons and concluded that pigeons play no role in transmission of HPAIV; however, recent studies have shown that might not be the case. From an epidemiological point of view “resistant” is not correct in that pigeons can and do become infected with AIVs, and infection can be induced using low titres of virus - showing they are indeed susceptible and the term ‘resistant” should be used with caution. However, there appears to be innate viral resistance mechanisms for the strains of AIV studied - and pigeons can be considered one of the least susceptible to highly pathogenic strains of virus, showing few or no clinical signs.
I recently spoke to Dr Nikkie Chadee, a senior veterinary officer with Agriculture Victoria. I asked her what would happen if Avian Influenza was actually diagnosed in a pigeon loft. The answer was that pigeons are classed as commercial poultry and so usually a positive result would lead to killing all of the loft occupants. However risk assessments are done. So for example if there was a positive loft next door to a large poultry establishment, these birds would be more likely to be killed than those in an isolated loft with a compliant owner with effective quarantine and responsible disposal of droppings and dead birds etc. Exemptions are also considered for certain birds including pets. Financial compensation is available with it being probable that representatives from the sport would be asked to place a financial value on the destroyed birds. The big danger for the sport is that something similar to what happened with Rota virus in Western Australia in 2017 might occur again, where an undiagnosed health problem was known to be in certain lofts but mob tossing and racing continued. A worst case scenario would be where a fancier knew that he had a respiratory problem in his birds but then sent them to a mob toss or race thus spreading the Avian Influenza virus to many other lofts. This could potentially lead to the destruction of all birds of a significant number of members – a catastrophe.
It is important that Australian fanciers work with government authorities to control Avian Influenza. The less well controlled the disease is, then the more likely it is to negatively impact our sport.
Unfortunately, many fanciers are still either unaware or are resistant to the idea of getting a Property Identification Code or PIC. The department is fully aware of pigeon fanciers non-compliance. Dr Chadee said that on occasion it has driven the department crazy trying to declare an area free of AI – they do all the testing in an area and then find out that there is a pigeon loft that they don’t know about. This delays progress with control greatly and is a bad reputation for the sport to have, both of which damage the sport. It is up to fanciers to comply if they want to do what is best for the sport.
Getting a Diagnosis Some fanciers may not be familiar with the way that health problems in pigeons are diagnosed these days. Different tests are recommended based on the nature of the problem being investigated. As everything costs money, the diagnostic effort (and cost) has to correlate with the severity of the problem. One of the most common reasons that racing pigeons are presented to veterinarians is that they “are just not right”. In this situation the most common tests that are done are a microscopic examination of a crop flush (or aspirate), a microscopic examination of a faecal smear and an avian blood profile. In the instance below, the fancier reported that his birds had been reluctant to fly around the loft for several weeks. Both young and old birds were affected. The birds had been vaccinated against PMV and Rota virus. There had been a bout of vomiting and some diarrhoea in the birds several weeks earlier, which had been assumed to be Rota virus. The birds were eating normally but crop emptying was delayed. There was not as much bloom on the feathers as normal. The problem had been going on for 3 weeks.
The blood results are below. It would be boring for most readers to go into great details about the results. They do however illustrate what is done. In summary the most relevant results are:-
1/ GLDH – This is an enzyme that is found in liver cells. If the liver becomes inflamed, liver cells will rupture and release their contents into the blood circulation. An elevation in the blood indicates that the liver is inflamed. This bird‘s GLDH is 6 while the normal is 1. Therefore this bird has an inflamed liver.
2/ Bile acids – Bile acids are excreted from the body by a healthy liver. If the liver is not working properly, the bile acids are not excreted and the level in the body starts to rise. The level of bile acids should be between 22 and 60. This bird has a bile acid level of 88. Therefore its liver is not working properly
3/ Urea – Urea is a by-product of digesting protein. It ends up in the blood and is excreted from the body by healthy kidneys, which keep it in the range of 0.4 to 0.7. This bird has a urea reading of 1.8. Kidney damage is the most likely cause.
4/ Haematocrit – This is the concentration of red blood cells in the circulation. This value goes up with dehydration or a condition called exertional polycythaemia (EPV), where pigeons are forced to fly above their fitness level. The haematocrit should be between 0.42 and 0.44. This bird is 0.51. Exertional polycythaemia is quite common. Birds can look well but not want to fly. The response by some fanciers is to make them fly. If the birds do not want to fly because of a health issue, red blood cells elevate in the circulation, trying to maintain normal oxygen levels to tissues. This makes the situation worse.
5/ Creatine kinase - This enzyme is released into the bloodstream from damaged muscles. An elevation here is also consistent with birds being forced to fly for a period of time for which they are not fit enough. Birds that are unwell for any reason cannot respond to normal training.
6/ Heterophils – These are a type of white blood cell. A low level as here is consistent with white blood cells moving out of the circulation into tissues to fight infection .
So, from the blood testing we know that the liver is inflamed and not working well. The kidneys are also damaged. In addition, there is evidence of infection and dehydration +/- exertional polycythaemia (EPV).
Blood Results
Test Results Unit Lowest Value Highest Value Qualifier
Glucose 21.1 mmol/L 12.9 - 20.5
Urea 1.8 mmol/L 0.4-- 0.7
Uric Acid 540 μmol/L 150 -- 770
Calcium 2.2 mmol/L 1.9 -- 2.6
Total Protein 25 g/L 21 -- 33
Albumin 10 g/L
Globulin 15 g/L
Albumin: Globulin Ratio 0.7 1.5 -- 3.6
AST 323 U/L 45 - 123
Glutamate Dehydrogenase (GLDH) 6 U/L 1
Cholesterol 7.4 mmol/L
Triglyceride 3.3 mmol/L
Amylase 1,302 U/L
Creatine Kinase 756 U/L 110 -- 480
Haemolysis Index Nil haemolysis
Lipaemia Index Nil lipaemia
Bile Acids Preprandial / Random 88 μmol/L 22 -- 60
Test Results Unit Lowest Value Highest Value Qualifier
Haematocrit (Manual) 0.51 L/L 0.42 -- 0.44
WBC 12.9 x10^9/L 13 -- 22
% Heterophils 28.0 %
% Lymphocytes 59.0 %
% Monocytes 11.0 %
% Eosinophils 1.0 %
% Basophils 1.0 %
Heterophils 3.6 x10^9/L 4.3 -- 6.2
Lymphocytes 7.6 x10^9/L 10.9 --- 12.2
Monocytes 1.4 x10^9/L 1.2
Eosinophils 0.1 x10^9/L 0.3
Basophils 0.1 x10^9/L 0.5
Thrombocytes Clumped and adequate
Blood Film Evaluation
Occasional polychromatic cells
White cell morphology normal.
Few small thrombocyte clumps
The dropping results are below and are normal. These results rule out a lot of problems.
Avian Faecal Analysis Results
Gross Examination
Faecal Volume: Normal
Faecal Consistency: Normal
Faecal Colour: Normal
Blood present? No
Mucous present? No
Gross parasites present? No
Undigested food present? No
Faecal Float Ova were not observed in the faecal sample
Direct Faecal Smear Motile protozoa were not observed in the direct faecal smear
Gram Stain
Total bacteria/1000x field: 500
% G+ rods/field: 70
% G+ cocci/field: 30
% G- rods/field: 0
No. yeasts per field: 0
% budding yeast per field: 0
Other: WNL
The crop flush results are below. They are also normal and also rule out many other potential causes of the problem
Crop Wash Cytology Results
Direct Smear
Motile protozoa were not observed in the sample
Gram Stain
Total bacteria/1000x field: <200
% G+ rods/field: 60
% G+ cocci/field: 40
% G- rods/field: 0
No. yeasts per field: 0
% budding yeast per field: 0
Other:
Comments
WNL
These are the comments made in conclusion by the pathologist.
“Reduced WBC with monocytosis - suspect inflammatory response with movement of WBC into tissues, concern for viral infection such as circovirus. Increased GLDH and Bile acids - suggestive of hepatitis either bacterial or viral such as circovirus, herpesvirus or rotavirus.” She points out that the bird probably has hepatitis (liver inflammation) and suggests several viruses that could be a cause as well as possible bacteria. This is where the clinical history becomes important. Circo virus only causes clinical disease in birds less than 6 months of age. If Herpes virus was involved, some birds would be dying and some would have yellow scum in their mouths due to viral blisters. In this case, no birds were dying and birds of all ages were being affected . With the history of a bout of vomiting and diarrhoea in the loft several weeks earlier Rota is the most likely . Further tests ( Rota DNA (PCR ) ) could be done on the droppings to confirm this but were considered unnecessary. The fancier had been told ( by other fanciers ) it could be Streptococcus , a problem with the food or in fact many other things. He had been told to give them antibiotics. Instead he decided to have the birds tested. As a result he knows what he is dealing with and , after advice , knows exactly how to manage them. He is not wasting his money on unnecessary medication. He is also not losing potentially good birds by sending them to tosses or races prematurely. He also knows not to force them to fly, in the process making them worse until they are fully recovered. Another important thing is that no birds were hurt to get a diagnosis. Autopsies , are not done so much these days because of the efficiency of other diagnostic methods. To get a blood sample in order to do all of those blood results requires only ¼ ml of blood is. The procedure involves a fine needle taking blood from the wing or neck usually and takes literally less than a minute. Falcon Fear An experienced fancier told me about a recent experience that had happened to him. He was missing 6 birds from a toss. He saw three birds coming to the loft . When they got to within 30 meters of the loft a falcon attacked them. One crashed into a tree. The falcon hung around for a few minutes and then disappeared. That pigeon sat in the tree for four hours until just before dark. It must have been tired, hungry and thirsty. Yet it was so frightened that it would not fly the 30 metres to its loft. So what happens on races – birds are attacked, some are put down, in a moment the flock the bird was in has gone and it finds itself alone perhaps hundreds of kilometres from home. It now has to navigate the journey and face the falcons but now it is by itself . For many birds I feel this is an impossible task. The famous Sydney fancier, Graham Davison said that he always admired birds that came home days late in poor condition on the third or even fourth day after a race. He said that he wanted their “motor” in his birds. Certainly there is no shortage of instances where birds which have come late and emaciated have, after recovery, gone onto win. As recently as in one of this year’s International races in Europe, one of the National winners when its wing was displayed had severe frets across its second flight on both sides. The winning fancier explained that the winning bird had been weeks late in an earlier race.
Vet Question 1/ I've been using "Coccivet" with amprolium and ethopabate, one day a week because we are having a wet winter. The product says it is safe to use at 15mls to ten litres of water. I only use it for one day per week. The question is would that impact adversely on the birds performance. They appear to be OK. The short answer is potentially yes. My understanding is that amprolium needs to be given for 5 days to be effective. Ethopabate has a similar mode of action to totrazuril ( the active ingredient in Baycox and Toltravet) in that it interferes with folate ( a type of vitamin B ) metabolism, specifically inhibiting the uptake of para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) by the coccidia. This disruption prevents the parasite from synthesizing folic acid, which is essential for its growth and reproduction. Anecdotally fanciers report that in the week’s that these type of products are used the birds performance is not as good as expected. You do need to dose very accurately . Ethopabate is regarded as safe when used at the recommended dose but can cause a variety of symptoms in overdose . Ethopabate toxicity in birds can manifest in several ways, primarily affecting the nervous system. Signs can include behavioural changes like lethargy or hyperactivity, weakness, difficulty flying, head tilt, dilated pupils, and impaired vision. More severe cases may involve convulsions, drooped wings, and jerky movements. Additionally, birds may exhibit signs of gastrointestinal distress such as diarrhoea, vomiting and dehydration 2/ Some of my birds droppings in the loft through the day are watery and yet every morning they are fine. Could there be a health problem? Wastes from the bowel and kidneys accumulate in the cloaca. The cloaca is a bag just inside the vent. In health fluid is resorbed from the dropping inside the cloaca until it is firm. If the birds in the loft are disturbed through the day they will empty their cloacas before this process is complete. This leads to droppings containing variable amounts of fluid accumulating on the loft floor. This type of dropping will also be found first thing in the morning if the birds are not sleeping well – due to activity , lights but also coldness within the loft. The fact that the birds produce normal droppings in the morning makes it less likely that there is a health problem and also means that the loft is working well and enabling the birds to get a good nights rest.