Bird flu confirmed at third Hierden farm in a week; 19,000 birds to be culled

Bird flu has been confirmed at a third farm in Hierden within a week, prompting the Dutch agriculture ministry to order about 6,000 ducks and 13,000 laying hens to be culled. A 10-kilometre transport ban has been imposed around the latest outbreak as authorities investigate how the virus may have spread.

The affected site is a duck and laying-hen farm in Gelderland. Two other poultry farms within one kilometre have already been cleared following infections on 9 and 11 November; no other poultry farms are within three kilometres. There are 14 farms in the wider 10-kilometre zone, some of which also fall inside the restriction zones around the earlier outbreaks.

The ban covers the movement of birds, hatching eggs and table eggs from sites with birds in the zone, as well as the removal of poultry manure and used litter. Other animals and their products may be moved if strict hygiene conditions are followed.

The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority is tracing potentially risky contacts to establish whether poultry or products were transported to or from the farm before the infection was reported. Further measures, including extra testing or restrictions on a contact farm, may follow.

The new outbreak adds to the cluster of infections in Hierden, where the government says all three affected farms have had bird flu in previous years. The latest farm was also cleared in June 2022. Authorities say an existing investigation into possible routes of introduction and spread will be expanded to include it.

A nationwide order requiring commercially kept birds to be housed indoors and certain hobby birds to be shielded has been in force since 28 October. Visits to premises with commercially kept birds are also restricted. Earlier reporting on the first Hierden outbreak covered the initial cull and transport restrictions.