Sixth German state finds H5N1 strain of avian flu

BERLIN, Mar 4 (Reuters) Lower Saxony has become the sixth German state to confirm that a wild bird tested positive for the H5N1 strain of avian flu, state officials said today.

''The grey goose fell from the sky in mid-flight,'' said a spokeswoman for the food safety and consumer protection office in Lower Saxony, the German state home to the largest stock of farmed poultry in the country.

The dead bird was recovered from a field outside Soltau-Fallingbostel last Sunday.

More than 150 wild birds and one cat have tested positive for H5N1 in Europe's biggest economy to date.

REUTERS PM RK2300