Bird flu found in Turkey’s west, area quarantined

Bandırma District Governor Ali Mantı said bird flu was discovered in a poultry facility in the Edincik region, the site of many chicken deaths in the past months. 

“All protection measures were taken in the facility where the disease was determined. The cleaning process has been done after the killing and extermination processes. Poultry which was near the infected facility or held the risk of being infected was slaughtered,” said Mantı. 

Mantı said the investigation launched by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock’s district directorate after more than 40,000 chickens died in four months was finalized and samples taken from the dead birds had been sent to labs. 

Poultry entrance and exit to and from Edincik have been banned. The regional governorate barred any kind of hunting in the region, while the gendarmerie blocked the road leading to Edincik. Only officials are allowed in the region.  

Sait Koca, the head of White Meat Industrialists’ Union, said the reason for bird flu in Turkey was migrant birds, as the route of these birds included Bandırma where the infection was reported. 

“The viruses that migrant birds carry cannot enter closed production facilities. The chickens that are breed in the open as ‘natural’ are exposed to all external threats,” said Koca.