ORGANISERS of an agricultural show say it has become the first event of its kind to fall victim to avian flu.

The pigeon and poultry sections at this weekend's Countryside Live Food and Farming Fair, in Harrogate, have been cancelled on the orders of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

The show organisers, the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, have been told by the Deputy Chief Veterinary Office that the two sections cannot go ahead.

It follows an immediate ban on all shows, markets, fairs and sales involving collections of birds across the EU. The ban covers captive live birds but not poultry imported for commercial purposes.

Honorary show director Bill Cowling said: "Clearly, the safety of people and the birds must come first, so we have no hesitation in complying.

"Our exhibitors come from all over the country, so we are writing to everyone to ensure they are aware of the situation, and we will be refunding their entry fees."

But he said the rest of the event - which takes place on Saturday and Sunday at the Great Yorkshire Showground, in Harrogate - would be going ahead.

Defra said it was seeking clarification as to whether the directive would affect pigeon racing, which is in its close season. This would have been the first year of the pigeon classes at the show, which had attracted 506 entries across 92 classes.

The poultry section was launched last year, and a total of 1,078 entries had been received across a range of classes.

For further information, visit the website www.countrysidelive.co.uk or call (01423) 541000.