Condor passenger charged £354 to carry six pigeons
A change to rules regarding the transportation of pets to the UK caught one islander by surprise after he was charged more than £350 to carry six pigeons on board Condor.
Dennis McKane has been taking pigeons to shows across south-west England since 1996, and had never previously been charged until one occasion a few weeks ago when he was due to take six of his flock of more than 40 birds to a friend’s house in Minehead in Somerset.
Mr McKane said he had presented all the relevant paperwork relating to his birds three days before check-in at Condor’s offices, after being told to do so when going through check-in on a previous trip last year.
‘On that occasion my car was directed into one of the security huts and when they asked about the pigeons I told them I had all their vaccination certificates in case I ever needed them,’ he said.
‘I was told that I should have given them notice beforehand, so for this trip last month I went in a few days early.’
When Mr McKane presented the birds’ certificates he was told that, because he was carrying six pigeons, the birds were required to be classed as freight, and as a result he would be charged £354.
‘I couldn’t believe it,’ he said.
‘I’ve been taking pigeons to three or four shows a year for nearly 30 years and this has never happened before.
‘I know some people who were taking five rabbits over on the same boat and they didn’t get charged.’
He attempted to contact Condor’s freight office about the issue, but did not receive a reply.
He added that he had been forced to cancel his planned trip as a result of the charge, and would have to reconsider the trips he made in future.
A Condor spokesman said that the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and its Cites regulations now required travellers with more than five pets to be registered as a transporter and to manifest animals through transport companies such as Condor in order for the authorities to be aware of their importation into the UK.
He said the charges Condor applied were ‘considerably lower’ than normal freight rates and allowed the company to handle the documentation and interface processes with the UK authorities and Border Force.
