Around 130 000 ducks and chickens slaughtered in Germany due to an outbreak of avian influenza

German officials said on Sunday that around 130,000 ducks and hens had been culled on farms near Berlin as the country battles a surge in bird flu cases.

The virus was detected on a duck farm with about 80,000 birds and a broiler chicken farm with about 50,000 birds, according to a report from the district of Merkisch-Oderland in Brandenburg.

„The Veterinary Service, after consulting the relevant authorities, has decided to remove the diseased birds for animal welfare and health reasons,– the report said.

Several German states have introduced measures to slow the spread of bird flu, including surveillance zones and caging orders. 

German Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer warned on Friday that there had been a significant increase in the number of infections in the past two weeks. 

The country's leading veterinary institution – the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) – has warned of a high risk of an outbreak.

As wild birds, including, for the first time, cranes, have been affected, the FLI has warned that further, possibly widespread, spread of the virus is likely“.

Officials urge the public to avoid contact with sick or dead animals. 

FLI warned that transmission of the virus from birds to humans is theoretically possible, although the likelihood is thought to be low.