A new deadly H5N1 bird flu case has been detected in Sadlowo,
central Poland's Mazowieckie province, Agriculture Minister Marek
Sawicki confirmed on Monday.
The disease has been discovered on a broiler farm with 360,000
birds, Sawicki told a press conference here.
This is the fourth outbreak of bird flu in Poland, with two
others found on turkey farms near Plock a week ago, and the third
on a laying hen farm in Mazowieckie province on Saturday.
It is too early to estimate the losses but they will amount to
at least "several million zlotys," Sawicki was quoted by Polish
news agency PAP as saying.
Sawicki told TVN 24 channel on Monday that compensation to
farmers who suffered bird flu-related losses might reach 10 million
zlotys (US$4.1 million).
"Just as in the previous cases all the chickens will be culled,"
agriculture ministry spokeswoman Malgorzata Ksiazyk said, adding a
30-kilometer isolation zone was established Monday around the farm
where the new case was discovered.
The cases of H5N1 are the first to be recorded in Poland among
domestic fowl. Last year the disease was discovered only among wild
birds.?????
(Xinhua News Agency December 12, 2007)