News item | 18-03-2022 | 20:42
Bird flu was diagnosed on a small-scale farm in Lunteren (Province of Gelderland). It is probably a highly pathogenic variant. The approximately 100 birds at the location were euthanized by a veterinarian in consultation with the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). It concerns ducks, geese and a few chickens.
A traffic restriction area will be established around this location. This area largely overlaps with the previously established area around the earlier contamination in Lunteren on March 10.
There is one poultry farm in the 1 kilometer zone around the infected farm. Since small-scale farms pose a very small risk for the spread of bird flu, the company will not be culled preventively. This company will be blocked, and sampled as a precaution and intensively monitored in the coming days for, among other things, the health of the animals.
There are 27 other poultry farms in the 3 km zone around the infected location, a number of these farms were also already located in the 3 km area that was established earlier. 12 companies that have been newly established in a 3 km zone will be sampled for bird flu.
There are 268 companies in the 10 kilometer zone, to which the transport ban applies. A large number of these companies have already been banned from transport since the previous contamination in Lunteren on 10-03-2022.
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.
Since the contamination of the laying company in Lunteren on 10-03-2022, a transport ban has also been in place for high-risk birds in the ‘region 10’, the Gelderse Vallei Zuid (see the RVO). animal disease viewer for that region). Given the very small risk of contamination in small-scale farming, this contamination will have no consequences for the duration of the transport restrictions in region 10.
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 house keeping obligation applies to commercially kept birds, these are brought indoors (except pheasants and ratites). A protection obligation applies to 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 commercially kept pheasants, ornamental waterfowl and ratites. on the website of the NVWA you can find more information about how this can best be done. 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.