Netherlands starts trial with vaccinating poultry against bird flu
The Netherlands is starting a two-year long trial with a vaccine against bird flu at a commercial poultry farm. Minister Femke Wiersma of Agriculture has high expectations for the vaccination, including preventing mass cullings and chickens being caged for months at a time. The sector is also hopeful, NOS reports.
“You can never completely eliminate bird flu. It is mainly found in wild birds, and they fly all over the world. But vaccinating poultry can ensure that there will be fewer outbreaks on poultry farms in the future,” Wiersma said. She considers this pilot “as a first step towards large-scale rollout of poultry vaccination.”
This experiment follows a field trial last year, which showed that two bird flu vaccines worked effectively in protecting birds against the virus. The involved farm produces eggs for the Dutch market alone because there are still many trade barriers to the vaccination. Some countries are still hesitant about vaccination and food safety, according to NOS. Kees de Jong of Avined, an organization in which various trade associations work together, told the broadcaster that food safety is precisely why developing the vaccine took so long.
The poultry sector is very hopeful. “Until recently, culling sick animals was the norm. Now we are going to protect the animals,” De Jong said. “That means a lot to us, certainly also on an emotional level. It is a disaster for poultry farmers if they have to cull their animals; first of all, emotionally, only later on a financial level. Completely eradicating bird flu is an illusion, but we hope to make the disease manageable with this.”
The pilot will last about two years. Chicks will be vaccinated and then be raised to become laying hens, which will lay eggs for the Dutch market. Last year, there was still some consideration for involving multiple poultry farms int he pilot. But the government ultimately decided to involve only one and not to disclose its name.
De Jong expects that more companies will join the pilot shortly. “We have been fortunate that bird flu has been relatively quiet in the Netherlands for the past one and a half to two years, but if there is another major outbreak in the near future, I do not rule out that we will vaccinate many more companies at an accelerated pace. If the need arises, then it must be done.”
