Bird flu found at another Dutch farm; 215,000 hens culled

Bird flu was found at a poultry farm in Puiflijk in the municipality of Druten, the Ministry of Agriculture said on Thursday. The Ministry believes it involves the highly pathogenic H5N8 variant of the virus, which was also found at a nearby broiler farm last week.

To prevent the virus from spreading further, the approximately 100 thousand laying hens on the infected farm will be culled. There is another poultry farm within a radius of 1 kilometer from the infected one. The 115 thousand rearing hens on this farm will also be culled.

The infected farm in Puiflijk is located within a 3 kilometer zone from a farm in Altforst where H5N8 was diagnosed last week. A 3 kilometer zone and a 10 kilometer zone will also be established around the Puiflijk farm. All poultry businesses in these zones will have to adhere to stricter measures. As the Puiflijk farm and Altforst farm are close together, the zones largely overlap, the Ministry said.

There are 6 poultry farms in the 3 kilometer radius around the Puiflijk farm, including the previously culled one. Birds on these farms will be tested for bird flu. The 24 farms in the 10 kilometer zone are banned from transporting poultry, eggs, poultry manure, used bedding, and other animals and animal products. 

In addition to these specific measures, poultry farms, zoos, petting zoos and hobby bird owners nationwide are required to shield their birds from contact with wild waterfowl and their droppings. Zoos, petting zoos and hobby bird owners are allowed to receive visitors, provided that visitors follow the same hygiene rules they are obliged to follow when visiting a poultry farm.