News item | 10-06-2022 | 07:11
Bird flu was diagnosed at two poultry farms in Hierden (Province of Gelderland). It is probably a highly pathogenic variant. To prevent the spread of the virus, approximately 100,000 ducks on one farm and 6,000 beef ducks and 8,300 laying hens on the other are culled by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). One of the cases concerns the duck farm that was also culled on 4 February because of the bird flu.
The contamination of these farms came to light through screening of the farms by the NVWA due to their location in the 1 kilometer area of the contamination of a duck farm in Hierden on 7 June 2022.
In the area of 1 kilometer around the infected duck farm in Hierden, there are three other poultry farms, one of which is the farm culled on 7 June, and one is the poultry farm with beef ducks and laying hens, which has now also been tested positive and will be culled. The third company from the 1 kilometer zone was negative in the screening and has had no direct contact with the infected company and will be blocked, sampled for bird flu and intensively monitored daily for, among other things, the health of the animals. There are no other poultry farms in the 3 kilometer zone around the infected duck farm. There are 21 companies in the 10 kilometer zone, for which the transport ban has been in effect since the contamination of the company on 7 June.
In the area of 1 kilometer around the infected poultry farm with meat ducks and laying hens in Hierden, there are three other poultry farms, one of which is the culled farm on 7 June, and one the duck farm that has now also been tested positive and will be culled. The third company from the 1 kilometer zone was negative in the screening and has had no direct contact with the infected company and will be blocked, sampled for bird flu and intensively monitored daily for, among other things, the health of the animals. There is one other poultry farm in the 3 kilometer zone around the infected farm, but it is empty. There are 20 companies in the 10 kilometer zone, for which the transport ban has been in effect since the contamination of the company on 7 June.
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, hunting rules apply, 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). 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 locations in Hierden, 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.