Poultry farmers in the Netherlands must keep their animals indoors indefinitely. The Ministry of Agriculture introduced this measure yesterday after the bird flu virus appeared on a chicken farm in Gasselternijveenschemond last week. According to the ministry, the risk of new infections in the open air is real.
For Piet Faber, himself a poultry farmer and expert at LTO-Noord, the cage requirement does not come as a surprise. “With a bit of common sense, I saw this coming,” he says. “The migratory bird season has just started. Those birds can infect poultry in the open air.”
During the autumn, millions of birds migrate from the polar regions to and through the Netherlands to winter in Europe. Those migratory birds, such as various species of ducks, geese and swans, can spread the bird flu virus.
If bird flu is detected on a poultry farm, all animals on the farm must be culled. Last week this led to the culling of 71,000 chickens in Gasselternijveenschemond. The vast majority of poultry farms in the Netherlands are chicken farms.
Although the bird flu virus was already diagnosed last week, the cage requirement was only introduced more than a week later. “I don’t think that’s too late in itself,” Faber responds. “The government is advised by a committee of experts, who take the time to conduct careful research.”
However, according to Faber, a shelter-in-place requirement, the second this year, always causes some commotion in the sector. “The government makes decisions for the farmer. As a poultry farmer you are dependent on them and that does not always feel good.”
Nevertheless, he understands the ministry in this case. “The migration season is not over yet. As a farmer you want to deliver healthy animals and a good product, but that is not always easy.”
Moreover, most poultry farms can cope well with the cage requirement, says the poultry farmer. “Even on farms where poultry normally roams outside, there is often enough space available inside.”
In addition, not all birds are ‘outdoor birds’, Faber notes. “Not all of them leave the stable. From autumn onwards there are many birds that prefer to stay indoors.”
He has a down-to-earth solution for animals that would still like to get some air. “Some birds will be grumpy. But then as a farmer you calmly explain why they have to stay indoors. And then they understand that,” the chicken farmer concludes with a wink.