Bird flu: 40,000 Danish turkeys to be culled

 

TT-Ritzau

 

Published 05.40

 

Around 40,000 turkeys at a poultry farm in Denmark are to be culled following the detection of bird flu. File photo. Photo: Jurek Holzer/SvD/TT

A highly contagious strain of bird flu has been detected on the island of Zealand. Consequently, approximately 40,000 turkeys in the Danish municipality of Slagelse are to be culled.

According to the country’s food safety authority, the case in Bøgelunde is the first confirmed outbreak of highly contagious bird flu this season.

Mette Kirkeskov Sie, a unit manager at the authority, stated in a press release that it is common for the first cases of contagious bird flu to appear in the autumn, as migratory birds move across Denmark.

“Furthermore, highly pathogenic bird flu has been detected in several wild birds over the past few weeks. It is therefore not surprising that we are now seeing the season’s first case of highly pathogenic bird flu in a poultry flock,” the statement reads.

The birds are scheduled to be culled on Saturday.