Abstract: A gene sequence including a first promoter for the expression of a major early fowlpox virus (FPV) protein. In a preferred aspect, the gene sequence further includes a second promoter for the expression of a late fowlpox virus protein in opposite orientation to said first promoter. The promoter is useful in developing FPV based vectors for the delivery of vaccine antigens preferably to poultry, and as a tool to study the temporal regulation of poxvirus genes. The invention also offers methods useful in the construction of recombinant fowlpox viruses or related avian poxviruses, which methods are characterized by the introduction of foreign DNA into the fowlpox virus or into virus DNA sequences, which sequences are able to use native FPV promoter regions.