Bird flu: Denmark farm to cull 50,000 chickens

The country’s Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries announced this in a press statement in Copenhagen on Monday.

“Deadly and highly contagious H5N1 bird flu virus infected the flock.

“As a result, we will cull the entire herd of 50,000 chickens in the coming days.

“This is both to alleviate the birds’ suffering and to prevent the spread of infection,” Lotte Brink, Head of section at the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (DVFA), said.

The presence of the virus was first observed on New Year’s Eve, when several dead chickens were found at a farm near the Orum town in Hedensted Municipality, about 177 kilometres west of Copenhagen.

All the infected chickens are expected to be killed and removed by the DVFA and the Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA).

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Thereafter, DVFA will clean and disinfect the entire farm thoroughly.

On Monday, the DVFA also started a 10-kilometre restricted zone around the farm.

The restriction would make it illegal to remove eggs or poultry without a permit.

According to DVFA, the restrictions, which will affect more than 450,000 birds, will be lifted at the earliest 30 days.

The authorities would lift the restriction after culling the last infected birds and disinfect the property.

This is the fourth and largest bird flu outbreak to occur in Denmark since October, according to the ministry. (Xinhua)