France said on Tuesday there was a limited risk of European contamination of bird flu from wild birds migrating from Russia, but urged French poultry producers to be on their guard for any sign of illness among their flocks.

The Agriculture Ministry said in a statement it had written to poultry producers on Monday reminding them of existing rules regarding poultry breeding and urging them to take steps to avoid mixing domestic and wild birds.

"The ministry recommends that producers avoid all practices that would encourage mixing between domestic and wild birds, such as feeding them outside," the statement said.

The ministry said the French agency for food safety found that bird migration maps indicate a low risk of contamination of European bird populations by birds coming from Russia.

"In effect, the birds in the zones affected by bird flu in western Siberia are likely to spend winter in the Near and Middle East," the statement said.

Since its discovery on a farm in a Siberian region in mid-July, bird flu has spread to other areas of Russia, leading to the forced culling of 120,000 birds in an attempt to prevent its further spread.

Some experts fear that migratory birds could spread the virus around the globe, unleashing a flu pandemic that could kill millions of people and cause devastating economic losses.

PHOTO CAPTION

A Russian veterinary worker and a policeman watch as chickens and ducks infected with the bird flu are buried in a pile of tyres and burned in the Siberian village of Oktyabrskoye, some 170 km southeast of Chelyabinsk, August 22, 2005. (REUTERS)