About 16,000 chickens were culled in Yunlin County after poultry at two chicken farms were confirmed to be carrying the highly pathogenic H5N1 subtype of the influenza A virus, the Yunlin Animal Disease Control Center said on Saturday.
Authorities detected the outbreaks at the two chicken farms in Yuanchang (元長) and Taisi (台西) townships after the farms reported that some of their birds had died in an abnormal manner.
Following the culling, the two farms and their surrounding areas were disinfected to prevent the spread of the disease, the center said.
Photo courtesy of the Yunlin County Government via CNA
As bird influenza cases increase across Taiwan, Yunlin County Commissioner Chang Li-shan (張麗善), who was elected to a second term in November, has instructed county departments to implement preventative measures, the center said.
Poultry farmers whose animals are culled are to receive financial compensation shortly, it said.
The county late last month reported that it had culled more than 19,600 chickens at a farm after birds there were confirmed to have the H5N1 subtype.
Falling temperatures increase the risk of bird flu infection, Center Director Liao Pei-chih (廖培志) said, adding that poultry farmers should take steps to eliminate avian virus potentially in the environment to prevent further agricultural losses.
Poultry farmers should tighten access to their facilities, and enhance disinfection of personnel and vehicles entering their farms, Liao said.
Separately, 1,088 geese were culled and incinerated after avian influenza was detected on a farm in Tainan’s Jiali District (佳里), the Tainan Animal Health Inspection and Protection Office said.
The owner of the poultry farm on Tuesday reported suspicious deaths of geese on his property, and inspectors began sampling the fowl for disease the same day, the office said.
Protocols for destroying the geese were followed after a Council of Agriculture laboratory on Friday confirmed that the dead fowl had been infected with the H5N1 subtype, it said.
The farm was disinfected following the cull, it added.
The animal health office said it plans to conduct avian influenza tests on 48 poultry farms within a 3km area surrounding the site, and carry out enhanced inspections of farms within a 5km radius.
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