Germany orders 62,000 poultry culled after bird flu found on farms

About 62,000 turkeys and ducks will be slaughtered after bird flu was found on more poultry farms in Germany, authorities said on Tuesday. Type H5N8 bird flu was confirmed in two farms in the Cloppenburg region in the northern state of Lower Saxony, the Cloppenburg local government authority said. Cloppenburg is one of Germany's leading poultry production areas.

About 62,000 turkeys and ducks will be slaughtered after bird flu was found on more poultry farms in Germany, authorities said on Tuesday. Type H5N8 bird flu was confirmed in two farms in the Cloppenburg region in the northern state of Lower Saxony, the Cloppenburg local government authority said.

Cloppenburg is one of Germany's leading poultry production areas. A series of outbreaks of bird flu have been reported in Europe in past weeks, with wild birds suspected to be spreading the disease.

Outbreaks have been reported in countries including France and Britain, along with cases found elsewhere in Germany. Risk to humans from the disease is considered low, but past outbreaks among farm birds have needed extensive slaughtering programmes to contain.