H5N8 confirmed on third infected Dutch farm
The poultry multiplication farm in Kamperveen, the Netherlands has also been infected with H5N8. It is the same strain as the two other infected farms in the two Dutch towns Hekendorp and Ter Aar.
It is the third farm in the Netherlands that has been infected with this high pathogenic strain of avian influenza. All the 10,000 animals have been culled.
At the same time, 8,000 ducks in Barneveld have been culled as well because a truck from the contaminated farm in Kamperveen also visited this duck farm. Although no signs of the virus were seen in the ducks, the government didn’t want to take any risks and decided to cull anyway. Barneveld lies in the heart of the Dutch poultry sector and any contamination in this area could be disastrous.
Because of the spreading of H5N8, the Dutch government has divided the Netherlands in four control zones. This is done to be able to prevent further spreading of the virus. The transportation of poultry is forbidden. However, one day old chicks can be exported, poultry can be transported to the slaughterhouses and eggs can be transported to packing stations. With all these exceptions, strict rules apply. Transportation of eggs from farm to farm remains prohibited.
On Monday (today), the Dutch Food Safety Authority (NVWA) released that no other infected poultry farms have been found in the 10 kilometres zone around the farm in Kamperveen. In total, the NVWA investigated 34 farms in a radius of 10 kilometers.
The virus, which originally comes from Asia, has also been confirmed in the UK and Germany earlier this month.
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