(LEAD) S. Korea culls nearly 22 mln poultry amid bird flu outbreaks

All News 22:51 January 25, 2021

(ATTN: UPDATES with latest confirmed case of highly pathogenic bird flu in paras 2-3)
By Kang Yoon-seung

SEOUL, Jan. 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's agricultural ministry said Monday it has completed destruction of 21.7 million poultry since late November to prevent the spread of highly pathogenic bird flu at farms.

The total number of confirmed cases of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza here reached 73 on the previous day, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The latest case was traced to a duck farm in Hampyeong, some 380 kilometers south of Seoul.

People shop for eggs at a supermarket in Seoul on Jan. 24, 2021. (Yonhap)

With authorities culling more poultry being raised at near infected farms, the local price of related food items continued to rise sharply.

Over the past week, the average consumer price of eggs shot up 24.8 percent from the previous year. Those of chicken and duck meat advanced 14.9 percent and 18.1 percent, respectively.

South Korea plans to import up to a combined 50,000 tons of fresh eggs and seven other types of egg products without tariffs until the end of June.

Cases traced to wild birds, meanwhile, also showed no signs of letup, with related infections reaching 95.