December 20, 2006

Bird flu ruled out in France chicken deaths

Bird flu has been ruled out as the cause of 4,000 chicken deaths in north-eastern France.

Some 4,000 chickens on a farm in France died suddenly on Saturday, while another 3,500 chickens at the farm appeared completely healthy.

The preliminary results of tests show an absence of the bird flu virus, the French Agriculture Ministry said.

It added it was likely that a ventilation problem had caused the temperature to rise inside the building housing the chickens, causing the birds to suffocate.

France, the biggest poultry producer in Western Europe. has had one bird flu outbreak in its poultry industry over the past year.