In the Gelderland village of Lunteren, a poultry farm has been hit by bird flu for the fourth time this month. This is probably the so-called highly pathogenic variant of the bird flu virus, which is highly contagious and deadly. The approximately 88,000 chickens of the infected farm are killed. The animals of seven other poultry farms in the vicinity are also culled.
There are still 53 poultry farms within three kilometers of the infected farm. These are examined for bird flu by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).
A transport ban applies in the so-called 10-kilometer zone around the company. There are another 236 poultry farmers in that zone. Many of them were already banned from transport because of the previous infections in the region. The ban applies to birds, but also to chicken eggs, manure and used bedding, for example.
Hundreds of thousands of animals killed
Bird flu continues to spread rapidly. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, the new infection in Lunteren is the seventh in that region in two weeks. In addition to Lunteren, infections were also reported in Voorthuizen and Barneveld.
Nearly 600,000 chickens and ducks have been killed so far this month, according to ministry figures, some of them as a precaution. Presumably there are even more animals. For example, chickens and ducks had to be culled as a preventive measure on Wednesday, but it was not disclosed how many animals were involved.
Earlier this week it was announced that Agriculture Minister Staghouwer had asked the Expert Group Animal Diseases for advice about the situation in the Gelderland region, which he called “heart of the poultry sectorIn the area around Lunteren and Barneveld there are relatively few waterfowl, while they are usually responsible for the infections. “The question is how the recent infections in the Gelderse Vallei came about,” according to the ministry.
Obligation to raise
Due to the bird flu, which has been circulating in the Netherlands for months, national measures apply. For example, a confinement obligation has been in force since October: all commercial companies that keep birds must keep them indoors.
Birds and ducks in zoos and petting zoos, for example, are not allowed to come into contact with wild birds and their droppings. This protection obligation also applies to the owners of other non-commercially kept animals, such as hobby chickens.
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