Poultry register data may be made available to a wider audience. The Country, Land and Business Association (CLA) is opposing the move suggested by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), describing it as a breach of trust.
Bird flu was the reason Defra assembled the poultry register. However, Defra is proposing sharing the information – which includes personal information on those involved in the poultry industry – available to other public authorities.
CLA president Henry Aubrey-Fletcher says that the proposal contradicts all assurances given by Defra about the use of the data.
The poultry register was, he says, only ever intended to help combat bird flu and that making it available to other authorities would create ?a huge amount of ill feeling?.
?Defra has issued a consultation,? he says, ?in which it suggests sharing this ?valuable resource? [the poultry register] with other government departments and public bodies ? including Natural England, Trading Standards and the Revenue – which haven’t shown themselves to be particularly careful with the confidential information recently.?
Poultry register data may be made available to a wider audience if Defra?s proposals are successful, although the CLA maintains that this will be a ?breach of trust?.
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