Chicken and duck ban for South of England Show

Chicken and ducks are to be banned from next week's South of England Show due to a new outbreak of Avian Influenza.

Following confirmation of a case of bird flu in Conwy, North Wales, DEFRA has ruled that bird gatherings must not be attended by chickens or ducks.

These birds are popular fixtures in the Fur & Feather section of the Show where children can handle small pets, farmyard animals and birds.

Deborah Barber, Director of the South of England Agricultural Society, said; "We have been advised by DEFRA today (31 May) that due to the current restrictions we are unlikely to be able to have chickens and ducks at the Show, however at the moment we are still planning to have geese, turkeys and pigeons on display. We are very disappointed that this situation should occur just before our flagship event as the Feather section of the Show is an extremely popular venue for our visitors."

Sylvia Brown, Chairman of the Fur & Feather Committee said: "The ruling has hit us hard being this last minute. We have around 100 people to notify and cheques to return etc – logistics wise it's a nightmare. It's very sad because an awful lot of hard work goes into the organisation of the display. But we're going ahead whatever and will expand the information and displays and have eggs on show, so people can still learn all about chickens and ducks."

A DEFRA Spokesperson said: "The ruling will be kept under active review over the next few days as the disease situation becomes clearer."