Anyone imported live ducks into France?

[clairus]

Hi, has anyone brought their ducks/poultry into France? When we move we want to bring our three pet ducks over and wondered if anyone had any experiences of this?

Thanks :)

[idun]

http://www.ambafrance-uk.org/-Consulate-general-in-London-

 

The french embassy in London's web site can answer many of your questions, as they can if you call them.

 

There is a section on the link about importing animals into France.

[Richardbk]

If you have less than a certain number (20 I believe) they just need a vet certificate from the UK and then you are supposed to declare them to the department vet when you arrive, or if they are checked at the port.

We did it properly with a vet check prior to departure and 2 days later one died from a infection contracted in the UK - so much for all the paperwork ! we didn't bother with the department vet as to be honest nobody is informed so they dont even know they have arrived.

Subsequently friends of ours just put them in a cardboard box and drove them through the port with no problem whatsoever.

[Jo]

Wouldn't recommend it! We tried to do this with our 8 pet ducks from UK, you need to get export forms from DEFRA, make sure they give you the right ones[:(] They will also supply you on request with a list of registered vets who can do the examination, not anyone will do they have to be certified (H1 or some such thing from memory) the nearest one to us was an hour and a half away[:(] and we lived in Nottingham, not the back of beyond! We then had to take all 8 to the vets to have blood taken, ever tried to take a blood sample from a duck?[:-))] and to provide 8 poo samples, one from each duck[+o(] he then "ringed" each duck so they could be identified, despite them being all different[8-)] oh and you have to supply the rings. They sent off the results and we were told they look for a certain strain of salmonella , if ANY of the birds in the flock have it they will not sign the export certificate. The results took ages to come back despite DEFRA saying you only need to do this a month in advance, and as I remember you can't do it much earlier, the timescales are very rigid, the week before we moved I was phoning every day to the vet and DEFRA begging for results we finally got them back 2 failed so he wouldn't sign the certificate[:'(] if he had done so the last requirement was that in the 24 hours before you emigrate you have to take them back to the same vet so he can confirm that the ducks that he examined are those that are travelling. All in all a heartbreaking experience as we were left trying to find homes for our gorgeous little ducks just days before we travelled[:(] The vet felt so sorry for us as all we had been doing was trying to do it the correct way that he said he would only pass on half the charge from the laboratory that did the tests, HALF the charge still set me back £425[:-))][:-))] Seriously considered the cardboard box in the boot idea, but since we were travelling with 2 dogs and 2 cats as well, feared having the whole lot put down if we got caught!!!