Ledbury poultry farmer Alistair Young says the industry is on bird-flu watch, following fears the potentially deadly epidemic could strike this autumn.

Mr Young, of Hill House Farm, said the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was telling poultry farmers to look for tell-tale signs, such as a fall in egg numbers, birds going off feed and bird deaths.

Mr Young said: "Let's hope it doesn't happen and if it does come, I am sure we can keep it away from indoor birds, such as my own."

He said that DEFRA had informed poultry farmers they would be categorised as a "high risk" group if bird-flu struck, benefiting early from vaccines held by the Government.

Mr Young said: "We are concerned. There are fears that bird-flu could arrive, initially on the east coast, with the migration of wildfowl such as ducks and geese from northern Europe."

Bird-flu is already thought to be present in Russia.

The infection would be in the droppings of wildfowl, putting free-range chickens at particular risk.

At Mr Young's farm, where there are currently 16,000 birds, workers shower and put on a clean change of clothing every time they enter secure chicken sheds.

Mr Young had even more chickens at the start of the year, but lost 9,000 birds in a shed fire in March.

Exclusion zones, similar to those imposed during the foot and mouth outbreak, could be imposed over wide areas in the event of a bird-flu epidemic.