News item | 01-02-2022 | 09:23
Bird flu (H5) was diagnosed on a poultry farm in Vuren (Province of Gelderland). It is probably a highly pathogenic variant of bird flu. To prevent the spread of the virus, the approximately 168,000 chickens on the laying company are culled by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).
There are no other poultry farms in the 1 and 3 kilometer zone around the infected farm. There are 14 companies in the 10 kilometer zone, for which the transport ban applies immediately.
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 house keeping obligation applies to commercially kept birds, these are brought indoors (except pheasants 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
In the context of the contamination at the location in Vuren, a tracing investigation is carried out into high-risk contacts, as is usual. 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.
Explanation current situation
The Minister of LNV has asked the animal diseases expert group to provide an explanation of the current situation and to provide a new risk assessment. The House of Representatives will be informed about this shortly. In addition, the ministry is looking at possible short-term measures that can be taken to further reduce the risk of bird flu being introduced.
Long-term considerations are also being given to how bird flu should be dealt with. It seems that bird flu has now become a structural problem, and that bird flu occurs year round in the Netherlands. The virus thus poses a permanent threat to poultry farming, to keepers of small numbers of birds and to wild birds and mammals. This also requires solutions for the longer term. The ministry will discuss this with the sector and other parties, also in the context of the integrated area-oriented approach with regard to nitrogen, water and climate and the Bekedam report.