Tokyo, Jan 9 (IANS): A record high of 9.98 million birds at poultry farms have been culled in Japan this season amid the nationwide surge in cases of avian influenza, the government said on Monday.

Earlier on Monday, a poultry farm in the town of Shirosato in Ibaraki prefecture, confirmed a bird flu outbreak, and has started culling about 930,000 chickens at the farm, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

The case brought the number of outbreaks of avian influenza to 56 across 23 prefectures this season, topping the previous record, while the number of birds culled has exceeded the level during the 2020-2021 season, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying.

The season's first case of bird flu was confirmed in October last year on a poultry farm in Okayama prefecture.

Under the current situation in Japan, it is impossible for consumers to contract bird flu from eating meat or eggs from infected chickens, the Ministry added.