March 28, 2006

Palestinians cull chickens after World Bank offers compensation

Palestinian agriculture officials began poisoning 15,000 chickens in the Gaza Strip on Monday following an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus.

The culling began after the World Bank offered US$2 million as compensation because farmers were unwilling to cull their chickens without being compensated.

Israeli agriculture officials were assisting their Palestinian counterparts with equipment and professional advice.

Israel put down more than one million turkeys and chickens over the past two weeks after an outbreak of the virus at six farms, most of them near the Gaza Strip. Israel says the virus has been contained on its side of the border.

There have been no confirmed cases of the virus infecting humans in Gaza or the occupied West Bank. An outbreak in the West Bank has so far been limited to a Jewish settlement under Israeli control.