04.02.2011

The Oita prefectural government finished culling about 13,000 chickens at a poultry farm and a meat processing center on Thursday after becoming the fifth Japanese prefecture to be hit by avian influenza (AI) this winter.

The prefecture imposed a ban on the transport of chickens and eggs within a 10-kilometer radius of the farm and conducted on-site inspections at 10 poultry farms within the area, each holding more than 100 chickens.

Oita Prefecture confirmed Wednesday the 11th avian influenza outbreak this season in the country. The southwestern prefecture borders Miyazaki Prefecture, where more than 700,000 chickens have been killed with the AI spreading to seven farms in six municipalities.

Elsewhere, Shimane, Aichi and Kagoshima prefectures have so far managed to contain infections to one farm each since the season’s first outbreak in Japan was found in Shimane last November.