Avian flu is not a food-borne illness

Chris and Gene Taylor, who run one of the biggest auctions for breeders in Wales, said the ban cut trading by 80%.

"Birds are our livelihood," said Mrs Taylor, who runs Pen-rhiw-garn Poultry in Llangynidr, near Crickhowell.

The assembly government, which brought in the emergency legislation, said a ban was "the only responsible option".

Friday's decision was in line with bans in England and Scotland on the sale and display of birds at markets, shows, and fairs as a precaution against the potential spread of bird flu - which has not yet reached the UK.

We go to the sales to keep the cash flow going, but this ban has taken 80% of our market away. Poultry producer Chris Taylor

Pen-rhiw-garn Poultry is one of the best-known producers in Wales and sells at major auctions in Wales and on the Wales-England border.

The company organises the regular Ross Bird Sales, which take place throughout the year in Ross-on-Wye, as well as rare breed sales, and it also sells to people who call at their farm.

News that the next Ross sale - which had been planned for 11 November - would be cancelled came after the firm had already contacted the 3,000 people on their mailing list, bought advertising space, and prepared catalogues listing lots for sale.

The firm said it had no way of recouping any of the money it spent in preparation for the sale.

"We get people coming from all over the country to buy at our auctions," said Mrs Taylor, who has run the business with her husband for 13 years.

Bird flu spread from south-east Asia to Europe

"The assembly ban is going to have a knock-on effect right through the industry, but for people like us could be devastating. I just don't want to think about the financial implications.

"We go to the sales to keep the cash flow going, but this ban has taken 80% of our market away. Our cash flow has gone completely.

"Today we should have been at the Llandeilo farmers' mart, and we had birds we had reared ready for sale, but we couldn't sell them.

"The problem with birds is that you rear them to a certain age - which is called point of lay - and after that, their value goes down as the birds get older.

"It's not like being in a business where items can just sit on the shelf until they're sold."

Mrs Taylor said poultry producers should have been warned months ago that such restrictions were being considered.

"We haven't had a phone call, not a letter - nothing. Poultry is our business, and they have basically come along and taken our business and our livelihood away."

'Scaremongering'

A Welsh Assembly Government spokesperson said: " It is appreciated that some producers will have difficulty with the new arrangements, however Europe considers this in appropriate form of action in light of veterinary risk assessment.

"We have taken these measures to protect the poultry population of Wales.

"This has been under consideration for some time and consultation between DEFRA and UK stakeholders has taken place for the last 10 days or more."

The Taylors have seen the number of people buying birds and eggs direct from their farm slump, as members of the public become confused about the facts about avian influenza.

"There is not enough information about bird flu, and people are getting worried for no reason and not eating eggs and chicken," Mrs Taylor said.

"The scaremongering has blown this out of all proportion. All that has happened is that one parrot has died in quarantine.

"They have had bird flu in the Far East for years, but only a few people have died. Far more people die every day in road traffic accidents.

"It has got to the stage where people are saying to us that they are not going to eat poultry any more. They have been frightened off because they are just not getting the information they need.

"We are rearing a considerable number of birds for Christmas - chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys - but we don't know whether we're going to be able to sell them, or whether we'll still have them in the New Year."

Announcing the Welsh ban, countryside minister Carwyn Jones said while the UK risk was low, the global danger of bird flu spreading was high.

"We must therefore do everything we can to protect our birds," said Mr Jones.

He said the ban would disappoint people, but added: "I am sure keepers understand that this is the only responsible option at the moment."