Bird flu has been detected at an organic laying hen farm in Biddinghuizen (municipality of Dronten, province of Flevoland). To prevent the spread of the virus, the approximately 11,000 laying hens at the site are being culled by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).
There are no other poultry farms within the 1-kilometre zone. There are two other poultry farms within the 3-kilometre zone. The farms are being screened and sampled for bird flu by the NVWA. There are 36 other poultry farms in the 10-kilometre zone.
Minister Piet Adema (LNV): "This is incredibly sad. Both for the animals that have to be culled and for this hard-working family."
A transport ban applies immediately within the 10-kilometre area. Where exactly this is, can be seen on the Animal disease viewer of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RFO).
A transport ban covers all birds and hatching and table eggs from a site with birds. The ban also applies to manure from birds and used litter, and to other animals and animal products from farms with poultry.
National measures such as a ban on visiting bird sanctuaries of at-risk birds are in place unless absolutely necessary. Risk birds include domestic fowl (such as chickens), waterfowl and ratites.
Since 6 July this year, the national rearing and fencing obligation has been repealed in most regions in the Netherlands, including Biddinghuizen.
For the farms within the 10-kilometre zone of the infected farm in Biddinghuizen, there is an obligation to screen captive birds and to keep commercially farmed birds, except pheasants, ratites and ornamental waterfowl. These do need to be screened.
As part of the contamination at this site, a tracer survey for high-risk contacts will be conducted as usual. If necessary, additional measures will follow as a result of the results of the investigation. Any such additional measures will be reported via an update in this press release and via the online channels of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV).
Source: NVWA
