The disease was confirmed on a farm with about 39,000 ducks in Cloppenburg in the state of Lower Saxony, reports Reuters.

The birds will be slaughtered, the state ministry said.

Bird flu, most often carried from one country to the other by migrating wild birds, has been spreading rapidly in Europe, raising concern in the poultry industry after previous outbreaks led to the culling of tens of millions of birds and international trade restrictions.

Earlier this week, Poland reported outbreaks at poultry farms with flocks totalling nearly 650,000 birds.

The French government put the entire country on high alert for bird flu, extending a requirement to keep all poultry flocks indoors.