Farmers shield flocks from spread of bird flu

Ireland and Russia today banned imports of British poultry and eggs, and farmers elsewhere in Europe took steps to shield their flocks from the possible spread of deadly bird flu from an infected British turkey farm.

Although the source of Britain’s first mass outbreak of the H5N1 virus was uncertain, the Dutch government said it could have come from wild birds. The Agriculture Ministry ordered birds be kept indoors or behind chicken wire and protective netting at farms throughout the Netherlands, which sits along a major migratory path.