Bird flu surfaces at Frisian poultry farm; 63,000 birds to be culled

Bird flu was found at a poultry farm in Abbega, Friesland on Tuesday. The farm owns about 63 thousand laying hens, which will be culled as soon as can be arranged, ANP reprots

State Secretary Martijn van Dam of Economic Affairs implemented a transport ban in a 10 kilometer zone around the infected farm. No poultry eggs, manure or used poultry bedding may be transported in this area for the time being. No other poultry farms are located in the immediate vicinity of the infected farm.

Some 1,200 dead birds were found in the province of Friesland last week. Though tests are still being done, it is believed they died of bird flu. Most of the birds involved ducks. Search teams found dead birds along the IJsselmeer, the Wadden Sea coast and further inland. 

Water board Wetterksip Fryslan calls on hikers and hunters to stay on the roads as much as possible and not to go into fields. This is to prevent unnecessary movement of wigeon. 

Late last month and early this month bird flu was also found in three farms in Biddinghuizen, Flevoland. In total some 200 thousand birds were culled.