Mexico to slaughter a half million chickens over bird flu

Celaya (Mexico), Feb 16 (AFP) Mexico will slaughter 486,000 chickens after an outbreak of bird flu was detected in the central state of Guanajuato, officials have said. Poultry producer Bachoco reported a possible case of H7N3 influenza in five breeder farms late Wednesday, which agriculture ministry officials confirmed yesterday. Authorities launched preventive measures, testing nearby farms to check if the outbreak had spread elsewhere. Last year, a bird flu outbreak in the western state of Jalisco forced farmers to slaughter 22 million hens, sparking an egg crisis in Mexico, the world's top consumer of eggs per capita. (AFP) KND 02160616 NNNN