Tyson destroys poultry exposed to bird flu

SPRINGDALE, Ark., June 4 (UPI) -- Tyson Foods said it will destroy 15,000 chickens in Arkansas that were exposed to a low-pathogenic strain of bird flu.

The U.S. food processor said it is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Arkansas Livestock Poultry Commission to manage the breeder hens that tested positive for H7N2 avian influenza. There is no indication the birds currently have the virus, Tyson said Tuesday in a news release.

The birds are on the farm of a poultry producer in northwest Arkansas.

"Even though the affected birds do not currently have the virus, the flock is being depopulated today as a precautionary measure and will not enter the human food chain," the company said in a statement. "While the birds' exposure to this strain of avian influenza poses no risk to human health, USDA's policy is to eradicate all H5 and H7 subtypes."

As a further precaution, Tyson will test all contract breeder farms, as well as any farms within a 10-mile radius of the affected farm.