In China’s Hubei province, the epicentre of the corona virus outbreak, poultry farmers are reportedly destroying birds because of transport restrictions.

According to Reuters, some chicken poultry farmers in the region are euthanising young birds that they are unable to take to the slaughterhouses due to transport ban. The authorities have restricted the transport of live poultry due to reports of it increasing the risk of disease.

An undisclosed Hubei Poultry Association official was quoted by Reuters as saying: “So many young birds were safely disposed of.”

However, the official did not reveal the exact number of birds that were euthanised.

Last week, Hubei Poultry Associated reportedly appealed to the Chinese government to ease transport restrictions for feed supplies.

Due to restricted feed supply, some farmers are offering less feed to their birds, while others are destroying a part of their flocks.

To prevent the spread of coronavirus, the Chinese authorities have locked down Hubei, one of the coronavirus affected areas, and a major producer of poultry and eggs. The outbreak of coronavirus has killed 426 people and infected more than 20,000 across China.