March 1, 2006

Finland orders poultry to be kept indoors

Poultry in certain regions of Finlands are to be kept indoors as ordered by Finland's Agriculture and Forestry Ministry on Feb 28.

The ministry said the new order will take effect on Mar 3 and will remain in effect until May.

The regions at risk include Western Finland and a few districts in other Finnish provinces, said the ministry.

Although bird flu has not yet been detected in Finland, some 21 ducks were found dead in southern Finland. The ducks did not test positive for the H5N1 strain of the bird flu, according to the National Veterinary and Food Research Institute on Feb 28.

However, in Sweden, Finland's neighbour, the Board of Agriculture has confirmed on Feb 28 that some ducks in south-eastern Sweden have tested positive for the H5 virus. Sweden is the ninth EU country to report the bird flu virus.