HAMBURG (Reuters) – An outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu has been found on another farm in north east Germany, authorities said on Tuesday.
The disease was confirmed on a small farm in Hohenkirchen in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the state ministry of agriculture and environment said.
Some 17 hens, 28 ducks and two geese were involved, the ministry said. It is the third case in the state.
Bird flu, most often carried from one country to the other by migrating wild birds, has been spreading rapidly in Europe, raising concern in the poultry industry after previous outbreaks led to the culling of tens of millions of birds and international trade restrictions.
On Oct. 27, Germany reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu at a goose farm in the north of the country.
Poland has reported several outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu at poultry farms with flocks totalling nearly 650,000 birds involved, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Monday.
The French government on Friday put the entire country on high alert for bird flu, extending a requirement to keep all poultry flocks indoors.
(Reporting by Michael Hogan, editing by Sam Holmes)
