Thousands of bird owners across New Zealand already struggle to access veterinary care for their birds.

Many are told:

• "We don't see birds."
• "We only offer euthanasia."
• "We don't have anyone experienced with birds."
• "Sorry, we can't help."

For many owners, particularly those with chickens, ducks, geese, quail and other poultry, there may be no veterinarian with significant avian or poultry experience within a reasonable travelling distance.

The Veterinary Council of New Zealand has released a draft guidance document that could significantly restrict access to experienced avian and poultry veterinary care. If adopted in its current form, the guidance would require many bird owners to establish a relationship with a local veterinarian before receiving advanced poultry veterinary services, even where local avian or poultry experience is limited or unavailable.

The draft guidance also proposes that video consultations do not constitute "seeing" a bird and that veterinarians providing advanced poultry services may be unable to authorise treatment unless they have physically examined the birds within the previous six months.

These proposed restrictions have come as a surprise to many bird owners and veterinarians, who understood the updated Code of Professional Conduct released in April 2026 to support greater use of professional judgement, modern technology, and appropriate telemedicine. The draft guidance appears to significantly narrow how those principles can be applied in practice.

While we support high professional standards, we believe these proposals fail to recognise the reality faced by many bird owners across New Zealand. Access to experienced avian and poultry veterinary care is already limited. Restricting access further risks leaving many birds without timely veterinary support and may result in poorer welfare outcomes.

We believe bird welfare should be the primary consideration in any regulatory framework.

Birds deserve access to the most appropriate veterinary care available, regardless of where they live.

We are calling on the Veterinary Council of New Zealand to amend the proposed guidance to ensure that:

• Bird welfare remains the highest priority.
• Access to experienced avian and poultry veterinary care is protected.
• Modern technology, including telemedicine, can continue to be used appropriately to improve access to care.
• Rural, remote and underserved bird owners are not disadvantaged.
• Experienced avian and poultry veterinarians can continue to support bird owners and local veterinary practices in a collaborative manner.

Birds should not become second-class patients simply because they are birds.

We ask the Veterinary Council to reconsider this draft guidance and work with bird owners, veterinarians, rehabilitators and welfare organisations to create a framework that protects both animal welfare and access to care.

Read the draft for the guidelines here