Bulgarian veterinary authorities started killing over 39,000 chickens on Sunday after bird flu was detected at two industrial farms in the southern village of Krivo Pole.
The governor of the Haskovo region, Minko Angelov, confirmed the highly pathogenic avian influenza was discovered at the two farms. More than 40,000 female chickens were killed after a bird flu outbreak in the same village in April.
In 2021, severe forms of avian influenza have spread in Europe and Asia. The National Institute for Animal Health of Germany, the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute (FLI), reported that Europe is currently dealing with the worst bird flu outbreak in history. Every day, new cases of bird flu are found at farms in European countries.
“There is no end in sight,” the researchers said a few days ago. The virus is found all over Europe, “from Finland to the Faroe Islands and from Ireland and Russia to Portugal”.
Every time avian influenza is detected at a farm, all animals are killed. In some European countries, like the Netherlands, farmers need to keep their animals inside, which means no daylight at all for the animals.
Experts are also worried about the recent increase in human bird flu cases. Animal welfare organizations and some politicians have asked for changes in animal farming to prevent the next possible pandemic.
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