As of 2022, tens of billions of chickens are killed every year to feed humanity’s growing appetite for bird meat. With the rise of avian flu, the number of chickens dying of illness — and being killed en masse preventatively — is even higher.

Bird flu, or H5N1 avian influenza, has been circulating across North America since 2022, infecting birds, livestock, wildlife, pets, and humans. Despite 70 documented human cases, there are no known instances of human-to-human transmission — but some scientists are starting to worry that it’s only a matter of time.

It is confirmed near Kington and a protection zone is in place, with all birds due to be culled.

Georgia’s poultry flocks are no longer infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), otherwise known as the bird flu, state officials announced on Tuesday.