Odisha culls birds after Avian flu outbreak

More than 5,000 chickens were culled in Odisha after the H5N1 strain of avian influenza or bird flu was detected in the Pipili area of Odisha's Puri district, an official said on Sunday.

After mass deaths of chickens at a poultry farm in Pipili, the state government had sent a veterinary team, which collected samples and sent those for testing, he said.

After the samples came back as positive, the government started culling chickens in the farm and the locality on Saturday, he added.


While 300 chickens were culled on Saturday, more than 4,700 were culled on Sunday, said Jagannath Nanda, the additional director of disease control.

A total of 20,000 birds will be culled in Pipili, he said.

Rapid response teams have been engaged to cull the birds and bury them, he said.

Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services Joint Director Manoj Patnaik said that all birds within the 1 km radius of the poultry will be culled and the farm will not be allowed to stock chicken for another five months.

The farmers will be provided compensation as per the guidelines, he said.

While for one small chicken, they will get Rs 20, for bigger ones, the compensation is Rs 60, Patnaik said.