Six million poultry have been culled in the bird flu-hit county of Heishan, in northeast China's Liaoning Province, local government said on Sunday.

The culling lasted from Saturday evening to Sunday noon, with all poultry slaughtered within a radius of three kilometers from the epidemic site, said Wang Yunwen, deputy secretary-general of the Jinzhou municipal government.

Local farmers actively cooperated with the government, he said.

The farmers were being compensated for the culling. The county allocated 9.6 million yuan (US$1.16 million) to the townships on Sunday, he added.

Niu Dun, vice minister of agriculture, arrived at the county with eleven experts. Three experts gave lectures on bird flu prevention to about 150 grassroots officials on Sunday.

Local publicity department is also producing CDs of the lectures and publishing booklets on bird flu prevention for distribution among the people living in the affected areas.

Local farmers found some chickens dying in Badaohao township and reported to the local government. Ministry of Agriculture confirmed the case as H5N1 bird flu on November 3.

Heishan county is located on the migratory birds' route from East Asia to Australia, and more than 20 magpies and other wild birds have been spotted.

(Xinhua News Agency November 7, 2005)