News item | 10-03-2022 | 21:41
In Lunteren (municipality of Ede, province of Gelderland) bird flu was diagnosed on an organic poultry farm with laying hens. It is probably a highly pathogenic variant. To prevent the virus from spreading, the approximately 40,000 chickens on the infected farm are culled. Within 1 kilometre, there are three poultry farms. To prevent the virus from spreading further in this poultry-dense area, these three poultry farms are being culled as a preventive measure. The clearances are carried out by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).
Six other poultry farms are located in the 1 kilometer zone around the infected farm. There is currently no poultry on three of these farms. The other three companies are being removed as a precaution to prevent spread to the surrounding companies. The company is located in a poultry-dense area. If preventive culling is not carried out, the contamination in this area can quickly spread to surrounding companies. The farms in the 1 kilometer zone that are culled preventively have approximately 2,800, 28,500 and 26,500 animals that are culled respectively.
Within the 3 kilometer zone are 46 other poultry farms that are sampled by the NVWA for research into bird flu. There are 228 other poultry farms in the 10 kilometer zone, and the transport ban applies to this zone with immediate effect.
Because the infected farm is located in a poultry dense area – and in order to minimize the risk of further spreading – there is also a transport ban for risk birds in the region (10) that corresponds to this (see the RVO animal disease viewer for that region). Under strict conditions, an exception applies to transport to slaughter and the transport of day-old chicks.
Minister Staghouwer: “Recently we still see the bird flu infections increasing. The infection in Lunteren shows how much impact the bird flu virus can have on a company, the entrepreneurs, their families, the animals and also for surrounding companies. The situation is worrisome. There is currently no one-size-fits-all solution to the bird flu situation in Europe, which is why we are speeding up the vaccine trial, tightening biosecurity and continuing to monitor the situation closely.”
Transport ban
A transport ban applies to all birds and hatching and table eggs from a location with birds. The ban also applies to bird manure and used litter, and to other animals and animal products from poultry farms. In addition, additional rules apply to hunting, for example in this area it is forbidden to hunt ducks or to hunt in areas where this could disturb waterfowl.
National measures
National measures still apply, such as a ban on visiting bird roosts of risk birds, unless absolutely necessary. Birds at risk include kept gallinaceous birds (such as chickens), waterfowl and ratites.
The national confinement and screening obligation is also still in full force. The confinement obligation applies to commercially kept birds, these are brought indoors (except pheasants, ornamental waterfowl and ratites). For non-commercially kept high-risk birds (fowls/chickens, (ornamental) waterfowl and ratites), for example in zoos, petting zoos and owners of birds and chickens, and for commercially kept pheasants, ornamental waterfowl and ratites, a shielding obligation applies. More information about how this can best be done can be found on the NVWA website. A ban has also been imposed on the display of poultry, waterfowl and ratites.
Tracking Investigation
As usual, in the context of the contamination at the location in Lunteren, a tracing investigation is being carried out into high-risk contacts. If necessary, additional measures will be taken in response to the results of the investigation. Any additional measures will be reported in an update in this press release and via the online channels of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.