Japan braces for bird flu outbreak after first farm case

The Japanese government has held an emergency meeting after this season’s first case of avian influenza at a poultry farm was detected in Kyoto Prefecture.

Fourteen chickens were found dead at the poultry farm in the city of Kameoka on Wednesday. The Kyoto Prefectural Government later announced that genetic tests had detected a highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza virus. The local government has started culling about 200,000 chickens kept at the farm.

Relevant Cabinet ministers gathered at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo on Thursday morning to discuss their response to the matter. The participants at Thursday’s meeting included Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara Minoru and Takebe Arata, the agriculture minister.

Kihara said Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae had issued four directives, including instructions for relevant ministries to work closely together and swiftly implement thorough measures to contain the virus. Another directive calls for the ministers to provide the public with accurate information about the outbreak without delay.

Kihara said bird flu outbreaks are continuing around the world and that the virus was detected in Japan for the seventh consecutive season. He added that the government recognizes that other outbreaks could occur anywhere in the country and is urging poultry farmers to follow strict hygiene measures. He said the government will remain on high alert and take every possible measure to respond to the outbreak.

Spread of bird flu could further push up egg prices

Possible spreading of bird influenza could further push up the price of eggs in Japan.

Egg prices had long been more stable than those of other commodities. But they rose due to soaring prices of imported feed and a decline in supplies triggered by avian flu outbreaks last season.

Officials familiar with the industry say poultry farmers are trying to restore production after more than 5.7 million birds were culled across the country in the outbreaks. They say egg prices could soar further if the infectious disease spreads again.