AGRICULTURE Minister Zsolt Simon on Sunday imposed a ban on bird hunting in Slovakia, apart from organised culls of wild birds aimed at monitoring the spread of bird flu, the TASR news wire reported.

Simon also banned poultry and other bird shows in response to concerns over the bird flu virus, which has been found recently in Turkey, Romania, Britain and Croatia after spreading from the far east. The Agriculture Ministry has also banned all racing-pigeon competitions in Slovakia.

Owners of poultry have been ordered to restrict contact between wild and domestic birds by moving their stock into buildings or protecting them with nets.