A BAN on the import of all captive birds from around the world plus a ban on all bird fairs, exhibitions and shows to protect Britain and Europe from the deadly avian flu virus is to be in place within 24 hours.

News of the tough new controls emerged as the EU food safety agency warned consumers to avoid raw eggs and to cook poultry thoroughly. Herman Koeter, the agency’s deputy chief, said last night that the possibility of the virus being transmitted through food could not be discounted.

Signs of the virus were found yesterday in two dead migratory birds at a lake in Neuwied in Germany, although the bodies of another 23 birds found at the same location did not contain any traces.

Further tests are needed to confirm the deadly strain, but the discovery provoked alarm throughout the EU. If positive it would bring the disease in migratory birds to the heart of the European mainland. Many EU states last night were poised to follow the action of the French and order all poultry and game birds to be locked indoors.

The order applies to farms in 21 French départments to protect them from the threat of migratory birds. Hunters were also banned from using live birds as bait amid fears of contact with migratory birds. There was no sign yet that the British Government would do the same.

Margaret Beckett, the Rural Affairs Secretary, is to make a statement to the Commons today to outline the emergency measures being introduced throughout the country and the European Union.

This includes a ban on the commercial import of exotic birds, such as parrots, as pets. These were considered the main threat of carrying the disease, because 232,000 exotic pets and birds have been brought into the EU in the past three months.

EU veterinary experts believe the threat of the spread of the flu virus via bird imports is greater than the threat posed from a black market in wild captive birds.

Ministers have allowed individuals to import exotic birds to keep as a pet. They will be subject to strict rules and each owner will be restricted to a maximum of five birds. The birds must also pass veterinary health checks and have spent 21 days in quarantine before leaving the country of export.

The bans on trade and bird gatherings are being introduced as a temporary measure to ensure there is no risk of avian flu spreading after the first case of the virus found in a parrot from Surinam, which mingled with birds from Taiwan at an Essex quarantine station.

If the parrot had not died in quarantine last week the bird consignments would have been allowed on general sale in pet shops today — 30 days after they were allowed to mix, according to dates disclosed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

The precise chain of events remains muddled, and it is clear government vets are not yet certain about the facts. They are also still trying to ascertain if the virus was at the quarantine centre before the arrival of the birds from Surinam, and also which bird became infected first. It was also unclear last night if experts at the Veterinary Laboratory Agency conducting the tests had the necessary tissue samples from all the birds in question.

Defra is refusing to disclose any details about the location of the infected dead parrot or confirm the name of the bird importer for Data Protection reasons. However, Brett Hammond, the director of Pegasus Birds, which imports and trades birds from its registered office in Little Warley, Essex, is linked to the incident. His partner has admitted being given instructions by Defra to keep quiet about the affair.

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