Firefighterts start culling thousands of ducks after latest bird flu outbreak

Fire-fighters and veterinarians have begun culling 23,000 ducks at a poultry farm in Dobřenice near the east Bohemian town of Hradec Králové, after tests confirmed the presence of the H5N1 type of bird flu virus.

The eggs from the farm owned by the company Perena, one of Europe’s largest duck hatcheries, will also have to be disposed of.

This year’s tenth outbreak of the avian influenza, which is fatal to birds, was recorded at the farm on Thursday. Outdoor breeding of poultry has been prohibited in the country since December 14 due to the epidemic.