Epidemic (animal)

Niigata Prefecture announced on Sunday that a suspected case of highly pathogenic avian influenza at a poultry farm in Tainai City had been confirmed positive after genetic testing.According to prefectural government officials, this is the fourth confirmed case at a poultry farm this season, following another poultry farm in the city and two cases in Hokkaido, Jiji Press reported.The culling of approximately 280,000 hens has begun, a prefectural government spokesperson said.On Saturday morning, the poultry farm contacted the Kaetsu Livestock Hygiene Center and reported that large numbers of chickens were dying.The movement and removal of approximately 865,000 chickens and eggs from poultry farms within a 10-kilometer radius of the site has been prohibited.