Nebraska landfill rejects bird carcasses from Iowa

JACKSON, Neb. (AP) – A northeast Nebraska landfill has declined to accept poultry from northwest Iowa killed due to the bird flu virus.

The landfill’s owner told the Sioux City Journal (http://bit.ly/1IvT0D2 ) that he considered disposing some of the carcasses at the site, but decided against it after Nebraska officials raised objections.

Spokesman Brian McManus with the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality said officials worried that transporting the birds could expose poultry farms along or near the route to the landfill to the virus. He said that’s why the department strongly recommends on-site burial of such carcasses.

Iowa officials announced on May 8 that two more farms holding a total of 4 million chickens tested positive for the virus. If confirmed, the birds will be euthanized and Iowa’s chicken loss will approach 25 million.