December 19, 2006

France investigating sudden death of 4,000 chickens

Tests were being carried out on Monday to discover why 4,000 chickens died suddenly on a French poultry farm, although initial indications did not point "particularly" to bird flu, France's Agriculture Ministry said.

The chickens died Saturday night. The 3,500 other chickens on the farm in eastern France were symptom-free, the ministry said in a statement.

Initial test results were expected Tuesday. "Autopsy results do not particularly point the diagnosis toward bird flu

," the statement added.

Earlier this year, 45 countries imposed full or partial bans on poultry imports from France, Europe's largest poultry producer, after the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus hit a commercial poultry farm in the southeast of the country.