The outbreak of avian influenza on a poultry farm in Altforst is of concern to the industry for several reasons. Firstly, because it concerns a parent company without a free range outside. Direct contact with wild birds seems almost impossible. The bird flu virus has probably also been present in the Netherlands for longer than previously thought.
On October 23, a housing requirement was imposed in the Netherlands after the bird flu virus H5N8 was diagnosed in whooper swans near Kockengen. Five days later, a farm with 35,700 parent animals in Altforst, Gelderland, turned out to be infected. The incubation period for avian flu is 3 to 14 days in chickens. It is therefore quite possible that the infection already occurred before the infection was detected in the swans.
In addition to 34 poultry farms, hatchery Het Anker and packing stations of Interovo and Van Zetten are also located in the zone where a transport ban has been imposed. The poultry organizations are in consultation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality so that these companies can deliver day-old chicks and eggs under strict conditions via a corridor.
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