Avian flu. Photo: AFP
BERLIN:
German authorities announced Sunday that they had ordered the culling of around 130,000 ducks and chickens on farms near Berlin, as the country battles a surge in cases of bird flu.
The disease was detected in a duck farm with around 80,000 birds and a broiler farm with around 50,000 animals, the Maerkisch-Oderland district of Brandenburg said in a statement.
“The veterinary office has decided, in consultation with the relevant authorities, to remove the animals concerned for animal welfare and health reasons,” the statement said.
Several German states have introduced measures to slow the spread of bird flu, including surveillance zones and orders banning the keeping of birds in stalls.
German Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer warned on Friday that there had been a “very rapid increase in infections” over the past two weeks.
Germany’s national animal disease research center, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI), has warned of a “high” risk from the outbreak.
