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Pigeon Smuggling
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Apparently not all profits from pigeons are legitimate.
Two men were recently arrested on a freighter at a southern
Taiwanese port for smuggling pigeons from China. The racing
pigeons, which originated in Belgium, were being transported
from China’s Fujian Province to Taiwan via outlying islands
when they were intercepted by the Taiwanese coast guard. When
arrested the men confessed to being part of a smuggling ring
and said the 179 birds had a street value in excess of U.S.
$617,000. | |
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Winter Show Update |
After many months of planning, the CPFA Annual Classic
and Western Canadian National Show for 2006 finally arrived in
Abbotsford Nov. 17-19. Hosted by the Vancouver Poultry and
Fancy Pigeon Association, the show was a great success. We had
exhibitors travel from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba,
Washington State and all across our province of BC, showing
pigeons, poultry and waterfowl in the first ever CPFA Classic
on the west coast.
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A
Pigeon Show Experience
While
it has been over two months since our Winter Show, I think it's worth
saying that it was an unqualified success. And it's not just me saying it,
several exhibitors mentioned they had enjoyed the show and, through me,
thanked the club for hosting the event.
A whole lot of
fund-raising, planning, organizing and just plain hard work goes into
putting on a show and we would be remiss if we did not recognize and thank
those involved. With this in mind I would like to thank the VP & FPA
directors and in some cases their spouses, participating VP & FPA
members, the Mountain Pacific Racing Club, the CPFA, the specialty meet
organizers, our judges and all the poultry and pigeon exhibitors who
together made the show such a success.
While
most of us are familiar with what goes on at a pigeon show, I had the
opportunity to see our show through the eyes of "non pigeon people". My
wife Cathy and I have what we call our city slicker friends, who live in
an upscale area of Vancouver and have what you might call an urban
lifestyle. Their only experience with pigeons has been occasionally
peering into my loft when they visit us at home. I invited them to come
out and see our show, and admittedly had to bribe them with a banquet
ticket before they would drive out to Abbotsford, but once they were there
they took full advantage. They were astonished at the variety of pigeons
and poultry on display and were full of questions as they toured the
aisles. They both agree it was an interesting and enjoyable time and have
since related their experience while out with other friends. We'll find
out just how interesting they found it if they buy their own tickets to
next year's banquet.
Dave
Williamson
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Palmetto Pigeon Plant
by Dave Williamson
Anyone who has read Wendell Levi’s book “The Pigeon” will
recognize the name of the Palmetto Pigeon Plant in Sumter, South
Carolina.
The company was established in 1923 by brothers
Harold and Davis Moise and Wendell Levi, who as a WWI Army captain
began the pigeon section of the U.S. Army Signal Corps., and during
its heyday in the 1950’s the 10 acre plant housed 30,000 adult birds
and was thought to be the largest commercial pigeon operation in the
world.
The plant, which still looks very much today as it was
then, is now owned and operated by Tony Barwick and is experiencing
a business boom, catering to the tastes of Asian-Americans and a
growing health food market. “Incomes have risen and people are
spending more money on food” says Barwick. “It’s antibiotic free and
that natural aspect appeals to consumers today.”
The
operation has diversified to include silky chickens and Cornish hens
but pigeons are still the mainstay of this business which had $6
million in sales last year . According to a Department of
Agriculture survey there are 450,000 adult birds in commercial
pigeon operations in the U.S., including the now 40,000 at the
Palmetto Pigeon Plant. |
| NEXT MEETING |
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Feb. 25, 2007 |
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2:00 - 4:00 PM |
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Ken Chatwin
3358 - 248th St.
Aldergrove,
BC | |
| ABOUT US |
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The Vancouver Poultry & Fancy Pigeon Association
is dedicated to the promotion and facilitation of the
breeding and exhibition of fancy pigeons in the Pacific
Northwest. | | |
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Avian Influenza Update
by Dave Williamson
It may be old news here but bird-flu outbreaks continue to
occur in other parts of the world. In December 2006 an outbreak was
confirmed at a quail farm in South Korea, resulting in the slaughter
of 365,000 birds, and in Japan the virus was identified as the cause
of 12,000 chickens dying at a poultry farm in the southern part of
that country. In January 2007 an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain
was confirmed on a duck farm in Thailand resulting in the cull of
2000 birds and in February that same strain appeared on a turkey
farm in Holton, England necessitating the slaughter of 160,000
birds. Indonesia continues to be hit hardest by the virus as four
additional human deaths were recorded in one week in January,
bringing the total to 160 people
world-wide. |
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Pigeon paramyxovirus-1
by Dave Williamson
Veterinarians at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture have
reported an increase in the number of cases of pigeon
paramyxovirus-1 (PMV) diagnosed at their animal health laboratory in
Guelph, Ontario. PMV is closely related to Newcastle Disease Virus
which is a federally reportable disease against which the CFIA takes
aggressive action. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture is
recommending that pigeon flocks be vaccinated against paramyxovirus
and is monitoring pigeon operations in Ontario to ensure adequate
biosecurity measures are in place to prevent the spread to
commercial chicken and turkey flocks.
The latest issue of the CPFA’s newsletter “News on The Wing”
covers this latest health alert in more detail and strongly
recommends all fanciers vaccinate their birds against
PMV. |
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