Source:Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 8/30/17


Concerns about the spread of high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) reported since the spring sparked one of Russia’s largest chicken companies to cull an estimated 1 million birds this month, according to several media reports.

Amur Broiler reportedly destroyed 1 million birds even though test results have not confirmed the presence of H5 or H7 avian influenza, according to the monthly Agroinvestor.ru report via the Avian Flu Diary blog.

Tests at the plant near the China border were suspected to indicate the presence of the H9 strain of the avian influenza virus and the plant was closed. The plant owners are expected to spend the next three weeks cleaning and disinfecting the facility, which now may reopen Sept. 16, the report said.

There have been no confirmed reports of any strain of avian influenza in the United States since March 2017, according to USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS). Cases of low pathogenic avian influenza had been confirmed this year in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Wisconsin, the agency reported.

For more stories, go to www.meatingplace.com.