Bird flu could force Europe to halt Dutch poultry exports

It is expected that the European Commission will today announce protective measures to contain the bird flu outbreak in Utrecht yesterday. Yesterday it was discovered that a highly pathogenic variant of bird flu exists at a poultry farm in Hekendorp, Oudewater. This strain of avian influenza is very contagious among poultry. The Ministry of Economic Affairs announced a nationwide ban on the transportation of all poultry goods yesterday. The ban will remain in effect for 72 hours, after which it will end in most of the country. The ban will remain in place within 10 kilometers of the affected farm for 30 days. The measures by the European Commission will likely confirm the zones established around the infected farm by the Dutch authorities and forbid the sale of poultry and poultry related products, such as meat, eggs and manure, from that region to other countries.