Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/12/10
By: Kuo Chih-hsuan and S.C. Chang

Taipei, Dec. 10 (CNA) Pingtung County’s animal disease control officials on Thursday culled 8,881 ducks after the highly pathogenic bird flu virus H5N8 was found to have infected some ducks on a poultry farm in Changzhi Township, officials said.

County officials said the farm operator kept the birds in a closed environment in violation of the law and they decided to issue a fine on the owner in accordance with the act governing the prevention of animal infectious diseases.

To reduce the risk of spreading virus, local health authorities have worked with the farm owner in disinfecting the area and launched monitoring and sampling of poultry within a 1 km radius from the infected farm, said the officials.     [FULL  STORY]