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Bird flu outbreaks prompt national indoor shelter order
DutchNews.nl • • health
Key Points:
- Agriculture Secretary Silvio Erkens has ordered poultry farmers to keep their birds indoors following three recent bird flu outbreaks in Groningen and Noord-Holland, aiming to prevent contact with infected wild birds.
- Wild birds migrating south have been identified as carriers of the disease, prompting measures to limit interaction between wild and kept birds.
- Bird hobbyists are exempt from the indoor order but must shelter their birds in aviaries or similar enclosures, and non-essential visitors are banned from poultry facilities.
- Despite the outbreaks, poultry prices and availability have remained stable, although increased transport and fuel costs are impacting suppliers.
- Bird flu cases have also been reported in Denmark, Germany, and the UK, and Erkens is advocating for mandatory vaccination of egg-laying hens to combat the disease.
