40,000 chickens culled due to avian flu scare in Nueva Ecija

A poultry farm in Cabiao, Nueva Ecija, possibly hit by avian influenza virus is being monitored by the Department of Agriculture (DA) after it culled at least 40,000 of its livestock, a report on QRT said Thursday.

Cabiao is the town next to San Isidro, where more than 300,000 birds were culled after the DA declared the area under quarantine last August due to an avian flu virus outbreak.

Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol commended the farm owner and local veterinarians for making an early call to contain the suspected contagion without waiting for a confirmatory test.

Due to the incident, Piñol issued a new protocol in the event of a possible outbreak.

The DA’s directive says only farms that have been confirmed affected by the virus are instructed to conduct culling.

Once deemed affected, neighboring farms are also directed to perform random tests on their livestock.

The DA has also announced that it will no longer issue one-kilometer or seven-kilometer quarantine zones.

The directive also said the department will no longer prohibit the transport of stored poultry products in affected areas. —Margaret Claire Layug/KBK, GMA News