Sweden to cull 1.3 mln chicken after bird flu hits farm: report

STOCKHOLM, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- An outbreak of bird flu has hit the southern municipality of Monsteras in Sweden's Kalmar County, and 1.3 million laying hens will now have to be culled and destroyed, the Swedish TT news agency reported on Monday.

According to the report, an extensive spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N8 and H5N5 has been found on a farm in the municipality. A large flock of laying hens has been affected and the infection has spread further in the facility, which now leads to 1.3 million poultry having to be killed and destroyed.