Authorities in Hong Kong are struggling to complete the slaughter of all live chickens in an attempt to stop the spread of a new strain of flu thought to originate in poultry. The killing of an estimated 1.25 million birds is expected to be completed by late on Tuesday. From Hong Kong, Jill McGivering reports:

Hong Kong's urban areas, including wholesale markets and shops, have been completely cleared of poultry and efforts are now concentrated on local farms, which have most of Hong Kong's livestock.

One official told the BBC that the problem of possible bird to human infection had now been solved.

The farms where killing is still taking place are in remote areas and contact with birds there is contained. The next stage is the disposal of the birds.

Carcases are being treated with disinfectant, but government officials say they won't be burned because Hong Kong incinerators aren't big enough to cope with such a large quantity.

The carcasses will be added to landfill sites across Hong Kong, although some environmentalists have expressed concern about the impact of bacteria from infected chickens.

Traders are planning to meet on Tuesday to discuss the government's offer of compensation.

Some wholesalers have already called on the authorities to extend interest-free loans to those affected by loss of stock until they can restart their businesses.

On Monday, the head of the Democratic Party, Martin Lee, criticised the government's handling of the bird flu crisis.

He said the authorities hadn't moved quickly enough to ban the import of chickens from mainland China, which accounts for about three-quarters of local stock.