HAMBURG • About 62,000 turkeys and ducks will be slaughtered after bird flu was found on more poultry farms in Germany, the authorities said on Tuesday.

Type H5N8 bird flu was confirmed at two farms in the Cloppenburg region in the northern state of Lower Saxony, the Cloppenburg local government authority said.

Cloppenburg is one of Germany's leading poultry production areas.

A series of bird flu outbreaks has been reported in Europe in the past weeks, with wild birds suspected to be spreading the disease.

Outbreaks have been reported in countries such as France and Britain, along with cases found elsewhere in Germany.

Risk to humans from the disease is considered low, but past outbreaks among farm birds have resulted in extensive slaughtering programmes.

REUTERS