Avian flu sparks protective measures

Dublin: STEPS have been taken by the Department of Agriculture and Food to safeguard the Irish poultry and egg industry from avian influenza, now believed to have spread from Holland into Belgium.

Holland, the biggest poultry exporter in the EU, has slaughtered around 15 million birds in a bid to control the highly contagious disease.

All Dutch poultry and egg exports remain banned, costing the industry there an estimated €2 million a day. The European Commission has enforced the ban at EU level until April 25.