The 43rd agriculture trade show opened Saturday in Paris under the shadow of the confirmation of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in a turkey farm in southeast France, the first case in a European Union (EU) farm.

From Feb. 25 to March 5, some 650,000 visitors are expected to be greeted by 1,153 exhibitors on a 150,000 -square meter exhibition surface.

Many visitors regretted the absence of poultry in the show this year, due to the breaking out of the bird flu, while they saw each year different kinds of cocks, hens, ducks and pigeons, which are replaced this year by sheep and cows.

"It's a pity that there is no poultry which is part of the farm, " said a visitor.

Some 3,000 animals at the show, including 680 cattle, 400 sheep, 60 pigs, 119 horses, 66 goats, 1,000 dogs, 500 rabbits and 150 guinea pigs.

Another highlight to divert the public from the bird flu is that people can hand in resumes at some 20 stands.

Hope sectors and biocarburants, or "green petroleum" of France, also occupy a position much more important than previous years.

French President Jacques Chirac inaugurated the show and chomped on chicken of the Bresse region, where the first case of bird flu on a European farm has been confirmed.

"There is no danger in consuming poultry and eggs," Chirac reiterated at the stand of the National federation of the farmers' trade unions, adding "there is no reason to provoke panic, that is just outrageous".

"The virus is automatically destroyed through cooking," he noted.

Source: Xinhua