Some 750,000 laying hens are to be culled from a single flock in the Czech Republic due to the detection of bird flu.

The flock is the largest in the country, making up approximately 15% of its 5m hens and producing about 600,000 eggs per day.

The outbreak was originally confined to one of three bird sheds at the poultry farm, 150km from Prague in the Tachovsk region, and required the cull of 220,000 birds.

However, the bird flu on the Czech farm has since spread to additional bird sheds and therefore, Czech authorities have decided to cull the entire flock.

The Czech Republic's State Veterinary Administration (SVS) said on Wednesday: “Despite measures taken and other efforts, it was not possible to prevent the spread of the highly contagious poultry disease to further halls and the whole farm will have to be culled.”

Impact

Like in many areas of Europe and the United States, poultry farmers in the Czech Republic have been severely impacted by avian influenza this winter.

The Czech Republic's State Veterinary Administration (SVS) chose to cull the birds following a bird flu outbreak.

The country’s agricultural and veterinary authorities have imposed a poultry housing order, similar to the one ongoing in Ireland, since November.

It is now likely that the major hen cull is set to drive shop shelf egg prices higher, impacting Czech consumers.

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