It should have been a beautiful weekend at the fowl exhibition in Waalwijk: two days full of the most beautiful chickens from hobby poultry farmers. Until it came to an abrupt end on Thursday. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN) immediately imposed a national housing and shielding obligation for poultry. Suddenly the show largely fell apart, even though some of the chickens were already on their way. “It was very hectic, I called around all afternoon,” says secretary Piet Stokkermans.
Fowl, ornamental birds, pigeons and rodents – more than 440 animals – would make an appearance at the exhibition in Waalwijk on Friday and Saturday. It was to be a great celebration for lovers of winged animals. The organization was already ready, the judges were in the starting blocks, the jars were cleaned and some of the egg-laying stars of the show were already in the cages on Thursday afternoon.
“It was kind of coming,” says Piet Stokkermans, secretary of the Rabbit and Poultry Association Waalwijk and Surroundings. Yet the national lockdown requirement came like a bolt from the blue. “It was quite a shock. It came at exactly the wrong time. Because it was all the way in Drenthe, we had not taken it into account.”
Red hot phone
As soon as Piet heard the news, he immediately grabbed the phone. Time was running out, because many chickens were already on their way. “I’ve been calling all afternoon,” he says. “Me on one phone, my wife on the other. Nobody knew anything.”
He managed to reach most of the participants just in time. Some, who had already set course for Waalwijk, had to turn back in a hurry. “We are really bummed,” Piet sighs.
Last week, a major outbreak of bird flu was detected in Drenthe for the first time in a year. About 71,000 chickens were culled there by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). According to the ministry, the lockdown requirement is “a severe measure”. It applies to both farmers and hobbyists. Exceptions for exhibitions, such as Piet’s, will also be cancelled.
The animals may still be transported, but must remain indoors. Piet is not too worried about his own chickens, and those of other hobby keepers. “These are small numbers, and if you have them under a shelter, there is nothing to worry about,” he says. However, the damage to the exhibition is extensive. “Yes, that will cost me thousands of euros.”
Hitting blows
Piet fears that bird flu and canceled shows will hit the hobby world hard. “All lights are currently on red. You see that many clubs around us are closing down, and membership numbers are also falling at the association. Breeders think: if I can’t go to an exhibition, why should I still keep chickens?”
Stokkermans himself is now almost a veteran in the poultry world. He has been secretary of the hobby club since 1991. But times have changed. “In the past, more than a thousand animals would come to a show, but now I’m lucky if I have three hundred,” he says.
Small hobby associations are dying left and right, Piet sees. “It is also difficult to get it all done administratively.” The recurring bird flu, which also led to a cage requirement last year, is also having an impact. Still, the secretary thinks that the area around Waalwijk is doing relatively well. “In Peel you have a larger chicken industry, so the risks are greater there.”
Bad timing
Despite the bad timing, Piet remains positive. “We just have to laugh about it, right? Everything will be fine. It’s a hobby, that’s why I do it.”
The exhibition continues despite the large absence of the chickens. The rabbits and rodents will take over the starring role from their winged counterparts this weekend.
