Japan has no land to bury dead chickens amid worst-ever bird flu outbreak
The worst-ever bird flu outbreak in Japan has destroyed its poultry herds, sending egg costs skyrocketing. There is no longer enough area to bury dead chickens.
This season, more than 17 million birds have been killed across the country. To avoid spreading the virus or compromising water systems, remains must be appropriately disposed of. According to NHK, local administrations and farmers say there is a scarcity of adequate land to bury them.
The situation of Japan emphasises the need for countries to rethink how they deal with bird flu, especially when record-breaking death tolls from the virus have become the norm around the world. While most outbreaks have occurred in Europe, the United States, and Asia, the illness has recently moved to South America.
This is detrimental to global meat and egg supply at a time when inflationary fears are high. In Japan, the outbreak has pushed corporations such as McDonald’s and 7-Eleven to either stop selling egg-related products or raise their prices.
Farmers and authorities typically prepare pre-incident strategies to manage wastes generated during a bird flu outbreak, such as carcasses, manure, and personal protective equipment. However, the quantity of chickens to be disposed of has surpassed their expectations, according to NHK. If they can obtain incinerator facilities, some localities are burning dead chickens.
(With inputs from agencies)
