The Thai government has ordered a mass culling of chickens in two provinces after bird flu was found in samples of native chickens.

Livestock Development Department Director-General Yukol Limlamthong was quoted by the Thai News Agency as saying Thursday that laboratory test results had confirmed bird flu in native chickens from the central province of Ayutthaya and the lower northern province of Kamphaeng Phet.

The department has ordered the mass culling of chickens in the areas and strict controls on the movement of poultry in nine provinces determined to have a risk of the disease recurring, he said.

Regarding Thailand's overall bird flu situation, he said that three provinces, Ayutthaya, Kamphaeng Phet, and Suphan Buri, are under close surveillance.

Yukol said that the situation is still worrisome regarding free- range ducks, as farmers have failed to report the numbers of free- range ducks they are raising.

The department allows farmers to raise free-range ducks, but concealing their numbers and the source of the ducks is illegal.

Some farmers, he said, are reluctant to raise their ducks in enclosed buildings as advised by the government.

Yukol said the European Union (EU) has recently sent officials to Thailand to examine local bird flu laboratories.

The Europeans said the problem of free-range ducks is a reason why the EU does not import raw chicken from Thailand.

Free-range birds on farms can transmit diseases they acquire from wild migratory birds.

Source: Xinhua