The outbreak has prompted the government to increase the country’s warning level for avian flu to “serious danger.”
South Korea has culled a total of 18.8 million chickens and other poultry animals following an outbreak of bird flu.
According to the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu was detected at a duck farm in the North Jeolla province in late November.
Outbreaks of the virus have since spread to farms across the entire country.
H5N8 can cause fatal outcomes in poultry and other birds and the country’s warning level for avian flu has been raised to “serious danger.”
The country’s law mandates that poultry within a radius of three kilometers (1.9 miles) from farms exposed to the strain must be culled and the affected farms must suspend their operations to curb the spread.
Apart from South Korea, the H5N8 pathogenic strain has affected many countries across the world including Japan, India, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Northern Germany, and Belgium.
This global spread of the pathogenic strain is being considered a significant pandemic threat, by experts.
Outbreak in the UK
The UK government has raised the risk of bird flu from low to medium after the virus hit several farms across the country.
Last November, more than 10,000 turkeys were slaughtered following an outbreak of bird flu at a farm in North Yorkshire, England.
Around the same time, a low-pathogenic H5N2 strain of bird flu was confirmed at Chookies Farm and Feed Store in Kent.
Consequently, all 480 birds (including swans, pigeons, chickens, and ducks) were killed.
A further 13,500 birds at a farm that rears broiler breeder chickens in Cheshire were culled after testing confirmed the presence of the H5N8 strain on the premises.
Outbreak in France
In France, around 350,000 ducks have already been killed since Christmas Eve over fears of a bird flu strain raging through the country.
Mass producers of foie gras have called for a mass preventive cull of ducks in a bid to prevent a more severe outbreak.
A further 400,000 are set to be killed, France’s chief veterinary officer revealed.
According to The Guardian, the head of France’s CIFOQ federation of foie gras producers, Marie-Pierre Pe, told Agence France-Presse: “The virus is stronger than us. New clusters are constantly emerging.”
Share this story: 19 million poultry animals culled after bird flu spreads in South Korea.
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
Gordon Ramsay Ditches Vegan Hate and Backs Flora’s Plant-Based Butter in New ‘Skip the Cow’ Campaign
- Totally Vegan Buzz Team
- 28th January 2025
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, once infamous for his digs at vegans, has taken a sharp turn in the kitchen. Ramsay has teamed up with Flora, the famous UK-based spread brand, as its global ambassador, marking a bold new chapter in Flora’s “Skip the Cow” campaign. Flora, established in 1964, has long been a household name …
The Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Places in Latin America
- Totally Vegan Buzz Team
- 27th January 2025
Latin America is experiencing an extraordinary rise in plant-based dining options. A new study, spearheaded by Veganuary in partnership with the food discovery platform HappyCow, reveals that Latin America now boasts over 10,000 vegan, vegetarian, and vegan-friendly restaurants—an impressive 21.6% jump compared to last year. Brazil takes the crown as the number one country, with …
Continue reading “The Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Places in Latin America”
VEGAN MEMES
NEED A LAUGH?
QUIZZES
All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. [wpViralQuiz id=27203]
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. [wpViralQuiz id=33494]
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. [wpViralQuiz id=31281] Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God