Coughlan said her officials had been in close contact with the agriculture department in Northern Ireland and a similar ban on pigeon racing was also introduced there Monday. The fear stems from past influenza outbreaks, with researchers believing a strain of bird flu related to today's virus caused the death of tens of millions of people during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. Scientists worry the H5N1 bird flu virus could mutate into a form easily spread among humans, leading to a global...

If a poultry farmer gets infected with the avian flu and his daughter, say, comes home with the non-avian flu, she can infect her father, and the two versions of the flu would exchange genes. Sometimes, the CDCs predictions are wrong and the flu vaccine produced for that year can be ineffective. The flu viruss adhesive parts normally attach to a cell, allowing the virus to destroy that cell and populate others. Then, they tell drug companies for which flu they should prepare. A major focus...

Speaking at the two-day National Dairy Symposium last week, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mr David Chapfika, said ministry would leave no stone unturned to remove all impediments to the successful implementation of the National Agriculture Policy, which will see the increase of production in the both the dairy and beef sector. GOVERNMENT is prepared to work with all stakeholders in the development of the agriculture sector so as to restore Zimbabwe's competitive advantage on the...

If there was not as much direct involvement, it would be better for agriculture in general. While illegal immigration is the hot button issue many want to discuss with 6th District Congressman Bob Goodlatte during his current town hall meetings, agriculture is also a key discussion topic for the Shenandoah Valley representative. Rockingham County poultry and crop farmer Sonny Meyerhoeffer said his hope is that the final farm bill will offer funding for research to enhance farm production...

A new book suggests the poultry industry is far from benign. Fortunately (given their huge numbers) chickens are not a source of global warming gases in the same way as ruminants - the so-called "farting cow" factor. There are now twice as many chickens in the world as humans, most of them kept for meat and eggs. Nothing paltry about chicken industry - Stuff. But their faeces is certainly becoming a problem, not least in the US, where the Attorney-General of Oklahoma filed a suit against...

Last bird flu patient discharged from hospital in good condition. According to the Animal Health Department, yesterday there were no new outbreaks reported but there still remain nine provinces which have not passed the 21-day period needed to announce themselves free from the disease. Speaking at a meeting held by the National Steering Committee for Prevention of Poultry Birdflu yesterday, Phat said that farmers planned to harvest 800,000 hectares of rice, but many of them would release...