The Liscannor farm , , which boasts two ostriches, two emus and several pheasants, doves and pigeons, as well as 80 regular fowl , , struggled to pay the bills during the foot-and-mouth outbreak of 2001, and Canavan fears what avian flu could mean for its future.

"If it arrived in Ireland and we couldn't let the birds out, it would be a great loss, " he said. "I'd be afraid of visitor numbers going down as well, especially if people start getting the idea that it's not safe. When you read about it coming to France, that's very worrying."

Canavan's ostriches, Derry and Ozzy, are a great draw for the farm, with regular school tours and a steady stream of continental visitors.

"If it came to culling, that would be a disaster and very upsetting, " he said. "We're open here seven years and you get very attached to the birds. I'd hate to see anything happen to them."

Last week, the EU's health chief Markos Kyprianou said that Europeans must learn to live with bird flu. The disease had become so widespread in wild birds, he said, that it was going to be around for a long time. Bird flu has now spread to 10 countries in Europe, with new cases recently reported in France, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Since last July, 650 dead wild birds have all tested negative for the disease in Ireland, but as the virus gets closer, farmers' worries are escalating.

"We are worried about the health of our birds and the effect this might have on visitor numbers, " said Phil O'Connell of Glendeer Open Farm in Westmeath. This farm has around 20 different species of birds, including Chinese pheasants, fantail doves, ducks and geese. "We haven't had advice on what we should do, we're just waiting to see what happens. We might have to bring them indoors, and after that, who knows? If we have to cull, that will be really dreadful."

Germany's decision to order all poultry indoors from next Wednesday (1 March) has raised speculation that Ireland could soon do the same. However, the Avian Flu Expert Advisory Group that met last week said that compulsory housing of poultry is not necessary at the present time. The situation is being kept under continuous review.

Bird flu has killed more than 90 people since late 2003 but it remains essentially an animal disease and no human cases have as yet been reported in Europe. On Friday, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) reassured Irish consumers that chicken and other poultry is safe to eat.

"Ireland is currently free from avian influenza and there are systems in place to prevent the importation of products from countries and regions where cases have occurred, " said a spokeswoman for the FSAI.

"There is no risk to consumers from eating properly cooked poultry or eggs. The FSAI and Safefood, following guidelines from the World Health Organisation, advises that poultry and poultry products can be prepared and eaten as usual."

This statement is especially important for David McEvoy, owner of the largest free-range turkey farm in Ireland, whose sales could be badly affected if people were to stop eating poultry. This farm in Termonfeckin, Co Louth will have 2,500 turkeys in June and if bird flu has arrived by then, its free-range status could also be under threat.

"If we had to keep the turkeys indoors that would be a problem for us, " said McEvoy. "Our turkeys don't have their beaks trimmed like indoor birds and there would be great concerns for their welfare. As it stands, they have 30 acres to roam on and they're only put in at night to sleep. If bird flu arrives, we'll have to keep our numbers much smaller."

Already McEvoy is fearing a knock-on effect to the Irish market from the fall-off in consumer consumption of poultry in Germany and Italy.

"There are already huge volumes of foreign poultry in restaurants and butchers, " he said. "We haven't noticed a fall-off in consumption in the Irish market yet but it depends on how public perception goes."

Meanwhile, Minister for Health Mary Harney announced on Friday that 400,000 doses of the vaccine against the H5N1 flu strain have been ordered by the Department of Health to treat 200,000 healthcare workers in the event of an outbreak among humans in the country.

Measures taken by the Department of Agriculture, meanwhile, include a ban on the import of live poultry, captive and pet birds, and a ban on poultry markets. To date, 6,850 flock owners have registered with the department, as well as 1,100 commercial operations. Dublin Zoo confirmed it had been in contact with the department, and has developed a contingency plan whereby all its birds will be put indoors within 24 hours of an announcement.

In the event of bird flu coming to Ireland, a spokesman for the department confirmed that a protection zone with a radius of 3km from the location of the virus will be set up for a minimum of 21 days.

There will also be a surveillance zone of 10km from the site for at least 30 days, during which time people will be banned from entering or leaving the area.

Despite his concerns for his ostriches and other birds, Martin Canavan expressed confidence in the government's ability to deal with any outbreak of bird flu in Ireland. "They did a good job on the foot-and-mouth crisis so I'd be fairly confident of them doing it again, " he said.

But his real wish is that bird flu stays well away from the island of Ireland, and his farm in particular. "It will be an awful worry if it arrives here and it will affect an awful lot of people, more than many would think, " he said. "But sure, what can you do, only hope?"