North road racing

[Andy]

I know I said I wouldn’t, but I am seriously thinking about turning the birds North. After hearing several different things over the last few days I’m thinking South Road is either going to be very expensive or unviable for the national clubs. I heard from someone that he had approached 2 local vets to him and both said that they wanted nothing to do with DEFRA. Another had registered with DEFRA and then spoken to a vet who wanted to know how many stock birds he had, the ages of the birds, whether they were all transferred, what medication was used and wanted a drawing of the layout of his lofts. Vets are looking at charging £500/per day, which is fine if you can get together with other local fanciers but as I have no other fanciers near to me my cost would be very high. I think that they will also start insisting that the birds are treated for all sorts.
I could send to Guernsey next week at a cost of £3.50/bird, so if I sent 10 = £35 plus £3 fuel charge for 107 miles. Where as I could send the same 10 birds to Wakefield at £2.75. £27.50 with no fuel charge for 184 miles. I could then also send to Hexham and Perth. I still have 22 old birds, most of whom have flown Guernsey, so could afford to push them on a bit. I also have a good team of 37 youngsters.
Need to decide by tomorrow as an entry needs to be in. Although I do only have to formally enter 1 pigeon and can add more on the day of marking.

[Buster121]

Me I would go north and be sure of racing, that is the costs I was on about the other day, they also want fuel and some charging mearly £100 per hour starting the minute they leave home or surgery so if they have to travel 30 miles that is half gone straight away

[Trev]

It is all very frustrating and will drive more of the smaller teams out of the game, the costs and requirements are unfortunately going to get silly. Sadly once this kicks in there will be more questions asked about pigeon racing in general and could in time affect North road too especially once someone realises that South Road birds will at some point be mixing with North Road lofts or lofts of those who only fly inland !!!
Apparently this is all "tit for tat" for some vet standards thing related to animal movement that we requested from Europe after Brexit !!!
I am going to register with a vet and see what happens next but personally I would go North too Andy but getting my birds to marking with the BBC is much more difficult so isn't possible at the moment unless I can find someone to take them for me. Our club/fed will be having a vote in the coming weeks on whether to go North with our youngsters this year.

[killer]

Best of luck Trev ,hope it works out ,

[Andy]

I have entered 8 to go North next weekend. I could send more on marking day. I could however select four or five to go South to Guernsey again. These don’t have to be decided on until the day of marking. Marking is around the same time and only a few miles apart so could do both. I’ll see what the weather is doing.

[Murray]

I think it's the best move, Andy. Really, the only move.
The Europeans are obviously going to make every step as difficult as possible, and will be pleased if they can disrupt the racing.
At least you should be able to get some regular racing going north.

[Andy]

Although not possibly the prestige of a Barcelona international I can still get a good distance north of clubs put up a decent program. Thurso for me is 523 miles. Lerwick in a straight line is 630 miles. If the birds took a straight line they would have to fly 300 miles over the North Sea to Berwick. More likely to come inland somewhere like Fraserburgh still 170 miles of water. What ever route they take they would still have a fair crossing of water to encounter. Further than over the channel. The advantage in someways is that this would be done at the start of the race when they are fresh and not like the channel when they are only 30 miles from home by the time they hit the coast.
I have sent to Lerwick twice in the past back in the early nineties when racing in Worthing. It was 650 miles to there. The first year I sent 2 birds. One won the race the other was reported in Norway so had obviously gone the wrong way across the North Sea. The second time I sent 1 bird and got her just out of race time.

[Trev]

I have to say Andy that personally I prefer North Road racing and always have, are you in a position to maybe join the NRCC ???
I'm kind of hoping that the whole DEFRA debacle goes tits up so we have no choice but to go North, as I say as it stands I just can't get my birds to basketing for the North Road.

[Andy]

I have to say Andy that personally I prefer North Road racing and always have, are you in a position to maybe join the NRCC ???
I'm kind of hoping that the whole DEFRA debacle goes tits up so we have no choice but to go North, as I say as it stands I just can't get my birds to basketing for the North Road.

I wouldn’t be in the radius of the NRCC and haven’t got a clue where they mark. I could possibly get in the West of England Lerwick club but I don’t think they are taking on new members at present. This would also involve a 2 hour round trip to Bristol for marking. There would be no point in me going North if I am only going to get a couple of races a year. The advantage of being in the nationals I’m in is that I have the opportunity of racing virtually every week of the season.

[Murray]

You are in a terrible situation.
You don't really have a great option, which ever way you go.
There are some hard choices to be made.