Bird shows banned amid flu fears

The government is taking precautions against the spread of bird flu

Poultry exhibitions and bird shows are to be banned in Northern Ireland as the government steps up its precautions against bird flu.

The Department of Agriculture said it had been in touch with the main organisations which keep poultry.

The Ulster Poultry Federation said its members would be disappointed as the main showing season has just begun.

However, the federation said it recognised the importance of guarding against avian flu.

Jim Fletcher of the Ulster Poultry Federation, which met in County Antrim on Tuesday night, said it would be heeding all the advice from government.

"The big problem, of course, is the strain which can kill humans - the H5N1 virus - is the one which the public are afraid of.

"The people who are most likely to come into contact with it - maybe the first sufferers - will be the small-scale poultry keeper, but we hope it doesn't get to that stage."

The EU move should close one possible channel of infection

Sammy Briggs of the Amalgamation of Racing Pigeon Societies said his group was very disappointed.

"The most disappointing part is the Blackpool show, which we have at the end of January each year," he said.

"Everyone, fanciers in the north and south of Ireland, have booked their plane flights, booked their hotels, paid for them in full and now we are going to lose all the money because of government restrictions."

The European Union has already banned imports of captive live birds - but not poultry - from other countries in an effort to curb the spread of bird flu.

The decision was backed by a committee of EU veterinarians.

'Drafting legislation'

Fears of infection arriving via pet birds rose after a parrot died of the H5N1 strain - potentially deadly to humans - while in quarantine in the UK.

As the ban was announced, German officials said two geese had tested positive for the flu in initial checks.

Further tests are to be carried out to confirm the virus and to establish if it is the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, which has killed at least 60 people in Asia since 2003.

Amalgamation of Racing Pigeon Societies is "very disappointed"

The EU ban "covers captive live birds other than poultry imported for commercial purposes," the EU Commission statement said.

Sandra Dunbar of the Department of Agriculture (DARD) said: "We are in the process of drafting legislation which will implement an EU decision which requires us to ban shows, fares, markets and any other gathering of birds or poultry."

Meanwhile, the department has issued advice to travellers who are returning to Northern Ireland or entering countries currently affected by avian influenza.

These include Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos, Maylasia, Mongolia, North Korea, Pakistan, Romania, Russia, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.

Jonathan Guy, DARD portal divisional veterinary officer said: "We need everyone's co-operation to ensure that Northern Ireland remains disease free.

"This is essential if we are to protect not just the health and well-being of our poultry and wildfowl, but also human health."

Travellers should not visit live bird markets or farms and must not bring into the country any meat products, particularly poultry products, in personal luggage, said DARD.