June 3, 2004

More Ailing Chickens Killed In US State

A second flock of Texas breeder chickens was destroyed after tests showed some of the birds were infected with avian flu, officials said Wednesday

The 24,000 chickens owned by poultry producer Pilgrim's Pride were at a farm about five miles from the east Texas farm where bird flu was detected last week, state animal health officials said.

"We did this as a prudent, pre-emptive step," said Sondra Fowler, a spokeswoman for Pittsburg-based Pilgrim's Pride.

The birds were killed Saturday, a day after another flock of 24,000 chickens was killed, but state officials did not announce it until Wednesday.

State agriculture officials said the disease does not make cooked poultry or eggs unsafe and consumers should not be concerned.

The disease killed 16 people in Vietnam and eight in Thailand earlier this year, but health officials said strains in the United States are not fatal to humans.

The outbreak is the second in Texas this year, but officials said they are unrelated.

In February, the virus was reported at a farm near Gonzales, east of San Antonio. More than 9,000 chickens were destroyed, and several countries banned Texas poultry.

Pilgrim's Pride is the second-largest poultry producer in the United States and Mexico.