To our PASA members and fellow bird lovers: South African aviculture needs all of us. We want to explain what has been keeping us busy, why this work matters and why we need you alongside us.
If we seem quiet at times, or take longer to respond than you would like, please know that there is often a great deal happening behind the scenes. We care deeply about this community, and we know that we also need to do better at showing you the work being done on your behalf.
The work behind the scenes
Much of an association’s work is difficult to see.
It is hours spent reading a draft document and asking what a particular sentence could mean for someone keeping birds at home. It is comparing requirements, preparing comments, contacting officials and following up when answers are unclear.
It is trying to explain how a proposal would work in an actual aviary, breeding operation, pet shop or transport business. It is asking what happens to existing lawful owners, how applications will be processed, what compliance will cost and whether the correct consultation process was followed.
Sometimes it means putting other work aside because a consultation deadline is approaching. Sometimes it means returning to the same concern repeatedly because it remains unresolved.
Recently, our attention has been drawn across the City of Cape Town’s draft animal-keeping by-law, the proposed Western Cape biodiversity regulations, ringneck and other alien invasive species matters, transport requirements and CITES.
These issues overlap in the lives of our members. A breeder still has birds to feed, records to maintain, employees to pay and a family to support while trying to understand which requirements apply.
We have to identify concerns early enough to do something about them. Once decisions are finalised, changing them can become much harder.
That is why we keep reading, questioning, attending and following up—even when it feels as though we are moving from one fire to the next.
Remembering why we do this
The PASA Expo gave us something we needed: time together.
It reminded us of the enjoyment, knowledge and friendships that exist in this community. We could listen, ask questions, share experiences and speak face to face. The PASA Expo programme brought many important subjects into one place, but the people made the occasion special.
For us, it was one of PASA’s highlights.
Imagine being able to meet every member. Imagine seeing our clubs and members come together, with that same willingness to learn and support one another. Having our own membership present and involved would be an extraordinary achievement.
We want more of those moments. We want time for education, young birdkeepers, club visits, practical support and celebrating what our members achieve. Your involvement helps give the association the capacity to do that work too.
The people behind South African aviculture
When we speak about the bird industry, we are speaking about people and years of commitment.
We are speaking about someone who learned to keep birds from a parent or grandparent. Someone who saved for a first pair and slowly built an aviary. Someone who has spent years learning a species’ needs, improving their care and sharing that knowledge with others.
We are also speaking about livelihoods.
Behind a breeding operation are employees and their families. Around it are feed growers and manufacturers, equipment suppliers, ring manufacturers, veterinarians, laboratories, transporters, pet shops and export services.
A decision affecting one activity can reach many people further along that chain.
We need to make those connections visible. We need reliable information about employment, local spending, lawful trade and the businesses that depend on this work.
That evidence has to come from our community. An association cannot describe the full value of its members’ contribution without hearing from them.
Your experience matters. Your information matters. Your participation gives substance to the voice representing you.
Why we need our members
We understand that people join an association expecting representation and support. That is a responsibility we take seriously.
Representing members also requires an ongoing relationship. We need to know what you are experiencing, where applications are delayed, which wording is unclear and what a proposed change could mean for your birds or business.
A small group of people cannot know every practical difficulty across every species, province and type of operation.
When we ask you to complete a questionnaire, send information, attend a meeting or contribute a comment, there is a reason. Your response helps us explain the real situation accurately.
We know that everyone is busy. But when only a few people respond, important experiences remain unheard, and the same few people carry an increasingly heavy workload.
Please help where you can. Keep in touch with your club. Read the notices. Share your knowledge. Offer an hour, a useful contact or a practical skill.
You do not have to understand every piece of legislation to make a meaningful contribution. Often, what we need most is a clear explanation of how things work in your everyday life.
Building a united voice
This need for cooperation reaches beyond aviculture.
Poultry, livestock, aquaculture, pet keeping and other animal-related sectors have their own expertise, responsibilities and concerns. We should be speaking to one another about the issues we share.
We believe it is time to build a coalition through which associations can exchange information, gather economic evidence and make joint representations where our concerns overlap.
We will not agree on every issue. We can still work together on the need for meaningful consultation, clear requirements, practical administration and proper consideration of economic consequences.
We care about animal welfare, biodiversity and responsible practices. We also need decision-makers to understand lawful captive breeding, the realities of caring for animals and the livelihoods connected to these activities.
A well-supported submission carries the experience of many people. Building that support takes participation from members, clubs, businesses and fellow associations.
Walk this road with us
We are asking because this community matters to us.
It matters when a member is worried about the future of birds they have cared for over many years. It matters when a small business faces uncertainty. It matters when an employee’s livelihood depends on decisions made far from the place where they work.
And it matters that the next generation should have the opportunity to learn, participate and build on what others have worked so hard to establish.
The people doing this work have families, jobs and responsibilities too. There are tired evenings and difficult conversations. Knowing that members are willing to help makes a real difference.
To those who already respond, attend, contribute and quietly carry part of the load: thank you. We see your effort, and we value it.
To those we have not heard from in a while: please reconnect. We need your experience and your involvement.
To fellow associations and businesses: let us start the conversations and find practical ways to support one another.
A stronger future for South African aviculture starts with all of us taking part.
PASA is our shared association. Please stand with us, help us carry the work and help shape the future of the community we all care about.