More bird flu in Groningen

12,000 chickens were culled at a poultry farm in Scheemda, Groningen, after cases of avian influenza were discovered at the farm. The organic food producer is about 30 km from another farm in Groningen where 10,000 chickens were recently destroyed. The egg-laying birds were housed in a chicken coop. Sharon Dijksma, the State Secretary for Economic Affairs, announced a ban on poultry and eggs within one kilometer of of the Scheemda farm. European rules mandated the birds be killed. Officials told broadcaster Nos that the birds likely had a mild form of the illness, which can develop into a more dangerous form. It is the sixth reported case of bird flu in the Netherlands this year.