Ibaraki: The Ibaraki prefectural government announced Thursday the confirmation of a highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak at a poultry farm, marking the first such occurrence in the eastern Japan prefecture this season. The outbreak at the Shirosato farm will necessitate the culling of approximately 970,000 egg-laying chickens, representing the largest culling operation in the country this season. According to Philippines News Agency, this is the 10th bird flu case involving a poultry farm in Japan this season, increasing the total number of chickens designated for culling to approximately 3.65 million. During the previous season, from autumn 2022 to spring 2023, 84 bird flu cases were confirmed across 26 prefectures, resulting in a record-high culling of about 17.71 million chickens and contributing to a significant rise in egg prices. Egg prices continue to climb this season. On Thursday, JA Z-Tamago Co. reported that the wholesale price of midsize eggs in the Tokyo area was 345 yen per kilogram, ne aring the peak level of 350 yen recorded between March and June 2023.