Safety concerns halt mass flights of racing pigeons

The largescale release of racing pigeons can no longer take place in Guernsey due to increased risks for air traffic, the port authority has said.

Guernsey Ports said requests to release large numbers of pigeons had increased year on year since 2022 and posed a hazard to aircraft.

It said the decision should not impact local enthusiasts and could be reviewed if "organisers can provide adequate safety assurances in future".

Clare Norman, secretary for several pigeon racing clubs including The British International Championship Club, said the restriction was "another nail in the coffin for pigeon fanciers".

She said: "We've had sleepless nights over this because once you start racing pigeons it's in your blood, we've been racing in Guernsey for the best part of 70 years.

"If you know a homing pigeon, it literally is a homing pigeon and has an instinct of where it lives.

"Where the liberation sight is at L'Ancresse, pigeons would only head north, it wouldn't be in their mind to head south towards the airport."

Nigel Legg, a member of the Guernsey Pigeon Racing Club, said he was "totally disillusioned" the club had not been consulted about the changes.

"We could have set some practical steps and suggestions of how we could work round the problem of the pigeons being released, which has never been a problem in the past," he said.

"There's no way we'd ever want to cause an air accident, but a little co-operation and a working group I'm sure we could come to some sort of sensible conclusion."

Guernsey Ports said it had received requests for 13 separate releases so far this year, typically involving more than 2,000 birds at a time.

The authority said it believed the rise was due to the additional post-Brexit requirements owners had to meet to take racing pigeons to France, making Guernsey a "more attractive and less costly" option.

"Large numbers of pigeons being released poses a specific risk because they will initially form a large flock," it added.

"They also fly at relatively high speed, making it more difficult for the pilot or birds to take evasive action, and at the height which aircraft will be at during the critical phase of take-off and landing.

"Local pigeon enthusiasts should be unaffected as they do not involve large numbers of birds, and will also be able to continue releasing in Sark and Alderney," it added.

Lewis Dale, head of safety, risk and compliance at Guernsey Ports, said while the decision may seem heavy-handed, the airport was trying to mitigate "a clear and specific risk".

He said: "If an incident occurred, resulting in significant damage to aircraft and potentially loss of life, there may be a question of liability if adequate measures had not been taken to prevent it."

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