Bird flu was diagnosed in chickens on a poultry farm in Sint Philipsland, which forms part of the Zeeland municipality of Tholen. The company's approximately 42 thousand laying hens were culled, NOS reports.
The authorities believe that this diagnosis involves a mild variant of the H5 virus. But as a mild variant can mutate into a highly contagious and deadly variant, European rules require the culling of affected animals.
Dutch food and consumer product safety authority NVWA added codes of another 14 poultry companies to its list of eggs contaminated with toxic insecticide fipronil. Foods that contain contaminated eggs are safe to eat, according to the federation of the Dutch foodstuffs industry FNLI based on its own research, NU.nl reports.
The Dutch food and consumer product safety authority NVWA halted production at dozens of egg-laying companies while they investigate whether the companies' eggs contain poisonous substance fipronil. This measure was taken as a precaution while inspectors take samples from eggs, laying hens and manure, ANP reports.
Approximately 30,000 hens are being culled in Barneveld, Gelderland after avian influenza was detected at a poultry farm there, the government revealed in a statement. Further analysis by Central Veterinary Institute (CVI), expected to be available on Friday, will determine the severity of the flu, but for now it is suspected to be a mild H7 variant, Secretary of Economic Affairs Sharon Dijksma writes in a letter to the Tweede Kamer.
