The Ministry of Agriculture immediately imposes a national cage and shielding obligation for poultry. Last week, bird flu was diagnosed at a chicken farm in Gasselternijveenschemond. Experts found this week that the risk of bird flu has increased. That is why the ministry has now decided that poultry farmers must keep their animals indoors.
The coop obligation applies to both farms and hobbyists who keep chickens. The exception for exhibitions of high-risk birds will also be withdrawn. The measure is intended to reduce the risk of infection with bird flu as much as possible. The ministry calls the housing obligation “a severe measure” for commercial companies and hobbyists. The ministry says the disease is “very unpredictable” and is therefore closely monitoring the situation.
In Gasselternijveenschemond, 71,000 chickens were culled by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) after the outbreak. Animals are also not allowed to be transported within a ten kilometer zone. The contamination on the chicken farm in Gasselternijveenschemond is the first contamination in the Netherlands since March of this year.