UK fights bird flu with additional poultry cull

Britain's farm ministry, battling to fight the spread of deadly H5N1 bird flu, said it would cull poultry at four more sites as a precaution.

"This is a precautionary measure taken to prevent any potential spread of the disease," acting Chief Veterinary Officer Fred Landeg said, adding there were no confirmed cases at the four premises.

The ministry began to cull about 6,000 birds at the Redgrave Park farm near Diss, Norfolk in eastern England where the virus has been confirmed.

The virulent H5N1 strain has killed more than 200 people worldwide since 2003 and millions of birds either have died from it or been killed to prevent its spread.