East Anglia’s top poultry auctioneer Fabian Eagle held the first weekly market for live birds in almost three months today.As the latest avian or bird flu outbreaks has spread across Turkey resulting in further deaths, wardens and staff at wildlife and nature reserves across the Eastern Counties remained vigilant for possible signs of infected birds.Chris Durdin, of the RSPB’s regional office in Norwich, said: “Our wardens and staff have been fully briefed and are on the alert for signs. They have been told to pay special attention to species including teal, wigeon, shoveller, pintail and pochard.“If they find suspicious or unusual signs, they will contact and inform Defra. All the various wildlife organisations are also working together on this issue,” he added.Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), which launched the national Poultry Register before Christmas, requires all producers with more than 50 birds to register before February 28 or risk stiff penalties.However, it lifted the European ban on poultry markets just before Christmas after a seven-week ban. The Elveden Poultry Market, which is held on the Earl of Iveagh’s estate near Thetford, attracted around 700 birds from producers across the region today.Mr Eagle, who will hold his next weekly poultry sale at Swaffham on Saturday, said that producers and buyers are coping with Defra’s new bio-security rules.

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Posted: 01|13|06 at 9:29 am. Filed under: UK News.