Bird Flu Outbreak in Central Japan: 50,000 Birds Culled

Central Japan has initiated the culling of around 50,000 birds after confirming the first highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak of the season, according to Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. The outbreak, the sixth reported case in Japan, was identified on a farm housing approximately 50,000 chickens in the city of Yamagata in Gifu prefecture.

Authorities took swift action after reports on increased mortality rates among the chickens. The culling operation started on Friday and is expected to conclude by Saturday. Transportation of poultry and egg products within a 10 km radius of the outbreak’s epicenter is restricted, affecting approximately 158,000 birds across 25 poultry farms in the designated zone.