Overview
- Niigata Prefecture said on November 4 that genetic testing confirmed avian influenza at a large layer farm in Tainai City.
- The farm reported an unusual number of chicken deaths on November 3, and a rapid test found 9 of 10 samples positive.
- Officials began culling about 630,000 birds the same morning and set a completion target of November 16.
- The prefecture banned movement of poultry and eggs within a 3-kilometer radius and restricted shipments in the 3–10 kilometer zone.
- This is Niigata’s first case this season and Japan’s third after two Hokkaido farm cases, as Hokkaido separately confirmed influenza A in a red-crowned crane from Tsurui with pathogenicity testing ongoing.