Register a racing pigeon loft
How to get a county parish holding (CPH) number to move racing pigeons from England to the EU or Northern Ireland for racing back to Great Britain.
Applies to England
To move racing pigeons to the EU or Northern Ireland for immediate release for racing back to Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), you must register the loft where you keep the pigeons. You’ll receive a county parish holding (CPH) number for each pigeon loft that you register.
You need a CPH number to apply for an export health certificate (EHC) to move birds to the EU or Northern Ireland.
For pigeon lofts located in England, it can take up to 10 working days for the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) to process your application. It may take longer during busy periods, or if the information you provided is incorrect.
Before you start
To register a pigeon loft, you’ll need to provide:
- your contact details
- a correspondence address and postcode
- the address of each pigeon loft you want to register
If you’re registering on behalf of a business, you’ll also need to provide the:
- business trading name and address
- legal status of the business, for example, a private limited company (Ltd) or sole trader
Register online
Data protection
For information on how we handle personal data, read the RPA Personal Information Charter.
Get help
If you need help to fill in the form, contact the RPA using the Defra Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301.