Bird flu confirmed again at Hierden duck farm; 9,500 birds to be culled

The Netherlands is culling about 9,500 ducks at a breeding farm in Hierden after bird flu was confirmed there, and has imposed a transport ban across a 10-kilometre zone. The outbreak is the second at a duck farm in the town in two days, prompting further investigation into how the virus may have spread.

The latest affected farm has previously been cleared because of bird flu three times: twice in 2022 and once in 2025. A separate duck farm in Hierden was confirmed infected on 9 November and has since been cleared, the Dutch government says.

The transport ban covers birds, hatching eggs, table eggs, poultry manure and used litter from sites with birds inside the zone. Other animals and their products may be moved if strict hygiene rules are followed.

Two poultry farms are within one kilometre of the latest outbreak. One is the farm infected on 9 November; no other poultry farms are within three kilometres. Eleven other poultry farms lie within the 10-kilometre zone.

The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is tracing potentially risky contacts to establish whether poultry or products were moved to or from the farm before the infection was reported. The other farm within one kilometre will be screened and monitored for 10 days through carcass sampling and for 14 days by telephone, the government says. Further measures, including extra testing or restrictions on a contact farm, may follow.

Nationwide rules requiring commercial poultry to be kept indoors and certain hobby birds to be shielded from wild birds have been in force since 28 October. Visits to premises with commercially kept birds are also restricted.