150,000 hens killed in fire at Ibaraki farm amid shortage of eggs in Japan due to bird flu

A record 10.08 million chickens were scheduled to be culled in January 2023 to prevent the spread of bird flu. - Reuters

TOKYO (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): About 150,000 hens were burnt alive in a fire at a poultry farm in Japan’s top egg-producing prefecture early on Wednesday (April 26), amid a nationwide egg shortage resulting from bird flu.

A security guard heard an explosion and found one of nine chicken coops at the Minori Farm in Ibaraki prefecture, north-east of Tokyo, in flames, NHK News reported.