Israel began culling 20,000 chickens today that are believed to have been exposed to the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus at a collective farm in southern Israel.
The head of the Israeli Agricultural Ministry's veterinary service said that tests showed the presence of H5N1 at Kibbutz Kerem Shalom, near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
Israel has culled more than 1.2 million turkeys and chickens in several other farms after detecting the H5N1 virus for the first time in Israel earlier this month. There have been no human cases.
Agriculture Minister Zeev Boim said on Sunday that the disease had been eradicated, but that another flare-up was possible.
The Israeli government approved compensation of 15 million shekel ($3.1 million) to farmers of affected areas.
The H5N1 strain has also been confirmed in poultry in the densely populated Gaza Strip.
In a show of co-operation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Israel has carried out testing on birds on behalf of the Palestinians and said it would supply Palestinian teams with protective clothing and professional assistance.