TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Yunlin County culled more than 24,000 chickens Saturday after two chicken farms in Shuilin Township tested positive for the H5N1 subtype of highly pathogenic avian influenza.

The county government said poultry inspectors at a slaughterhouse in Pingtung County detected abnormal symptoms during slaughter inspections on March 2 and March 3. The slaughterhouse reported the issue to authorities, prompting an investigation into the source farms in Yunlin.

Officials traced the birds to two red-feather native chicken farms in Shuilin Township and imposed movement controls at the farms. Samples were sent for testing, and the Ministry of Agriculture’s Veterinary Research Institute confirmed both cases were the H5N1 subtype of highly pathogenic avian influenza.

UDN reported that one farm operator failed to report the outbreak to authorities as required. Officials are also reviewing the timing of the report from the other farm to determine whether proper notification procedures were followed.

Yunlin County Magistrate Chang Li-shan (張麗善) urged poultry farmers to report unusual poultry deaths or symptoms such as reduced feeding or water intake. She said that under the Animal Infectious Disease Control Act, farmers who conceal outbreaks can face fines of up to NT$1 million (US$31,000) and will not receive compensation for culled birds.