Controls to prevent the arrival here of avian influenza - which has devastated the poultry industry in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany and led to the death of a Dutch veterinarian - have been strengthened here.
Government orders banning the imports of live fowl and eggs from the infected countries are being supplemented by increased checks on stock by inspectors, the Department of Agriculture and Food said at the weekend.
The chicken flu can be carried by wild birds that are susceptible to it but, as yet, there have been no plans to ban the sport of pigeon racing, according to sources in the Pigeon Clubs.
"We have been told that if the flu spreads to France, where most of our international races begin, there will most certainly be a ban on sending pigeons out there," said one leading pigeon keeper yesterday.
The EU Commission on Thursday prolonged safety measures in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands imposed to counter any outbreak of the highly contagious bird flu.
Some 31 million chickens have been slaughtered in the three countries to contain the disease, which started in the Netherlands but has spread across borders.
The Commission's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health extended the safety measures in the Netherlands and Germany until May 30th. In Belgium, the restrictive measures will be limited to the northern provinces of Antwerp and Limburg until May 27th.
In the Netherlands, where the disease was first spotted in late February, there have been 252 outbreaks, and an additional six suspected cases. Some 28 million birds have been culled.
Under the EU rules, no Dutch poultry, hatching eggs and fresh, unprocessed poultry manure may be exported, while there is a ban on the transport of most live poultry and hatching eggs in the country.
In Germany, a single outbreak was reported, near the Dutch border on May 9th.
The Commission extended restrictions until the end of the month, although it said some birds can be transported under strict conditions.
In Belgium, where three million birds have been killed, eight outbreaks have been confirmed,with the last reported on April 28th.
"It can thus be concluded that the disease has been successfully eradicated," said the Commission.
Experts say this outbreak of avian influenza, caused by a virus known as H7N7, is not harmful for people but that the virus could mutate, triggering a potentially dangerous influenza epidemic.
Another strain of avian influenza crossed the species barrier in 1997 in Hong Kong, killing six people and prompting a mass cull of the territory's poultry.
However, experts in Hong Kong said during the week there is no link between the SARS epidemic and the strain of bird flu identified on the European Continent.