January 10, 2023

Japan culls record 9.98 million birds this season due to bird flu

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said the country has culled close to 10 million birds at poultry farms this season due to bird flu, as the virus continues to spread across the nation, Japan Today reported.

A total of 9.98 million birds have been culled, with the latest case detected in Ibaraki prefecture, northeast of Tokyo. Roughly 930,000 chickens were culled in the prefecture at a farm in the town of Shirosato after genetic testing confirmed the presence of avian influenza.

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries reports that the 9.87 million cull from November 2020 to March 2021 was the previous record.

In 23 of the country's 47 prefectures this season, a record-breaking 56 infections had been confirmed as of Monday.

The first case of bird flu for this season was identified in October on a poultry farm in Okayama Prefecture, western Japan,

Since then, there have been several cases, including one earlier this month in Fukuoka Prefecture where about 430 emus were killed.

The current spread of bird flu in Japan is believed to be caused by migratory birds.

-      Japan Today