More than 100,000 chickens culled after bird flu outbreak in Alkmaar

The Dutch Food and Consumer Safety Authority (NVWA) will cull 107,000 chickens on Saturday due to a bird flu outbreak at a large poultry farm in Grootscherme in the municipality of Alkmaar, Minister of Agriculture Carola Schouten wrote in a letter to the Tweede Kamer.

It concerns a "broiler farm with three sheds: two sheds with 40,000 animals and one shed with 27,000 animals," Schouten wrote. "In one barn, the animals showed signs of bird flu," Schouten said.

The samples taken show that there is indeed a case of contamination.

Near the infected farm is another chicken farmer with 18,700 broilers. According to the agriculture minister, it is "responsible" not to clear this company preventively because no other commercial poultry farm is located within a radius of ten kilometers "where the spread could occur."

On Tuesday, Schouten announced an obligation to keep commercial poultry farmers indoors: they must keep their chickens indoors for the time being to limit the spread of the virus.

The Ministry also called on Netherlands residents to report any dead wild birds they come across so that these can be tested for bird flu. Information about how to report can be found on the NVWA website.