MITO, Ibaraki Pref. (Kyodo) Police said Saturday they arrested the former owner of a chicken farm operation in Ibaraki Prefecture on suspicion he colluded with other veterinarians at the company to obstruct inspections for avian flu.
The police allege that veterinarian Taiyo Saito, 66, former chairman of IKN Egg Farms Co., replaced chickens last August that were scheduled to be inspected with birds from other farms.
IKN Egg Farms's head office in Yokohama was among the 25 locations police raided in December after chickens in at least one of its farms in Ibaraki tested positive for bird flu during a re-inspection in November.