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Bird flu has been discovered at a poultry farm in Barneveld where the government has ordered 41,000 chickens to be culled and imposed a regional poultry transport ban.
This is the 12th report since the start of August, and in June the agriculture ministry admitted that the situation is a serious, year-round problem.
Poultry farms within 10 km of the affected farm in Barneveld are not allowed to transport their birds to avoid further infection, affecting 220 firms, reports broadcaster NOS.
‘This is a huge blow,’ chair of Dutch poultry farmers organisation the Nederlandse Vakbond Pluimveehouders Bart-Jan Oplaat told NOS. Following an infection in April, new birds were already banned in the region, he added. ‘This means another six months without income.’
There are no poultry farms directly in the vicinity of the affected farm, so no other animals need to be slaughtered, However, 34 farms within three kilometers will be closely monitored for the next fortnight.
There is usually a seasonal aspect to infection, with a decrease in the summer, added Oplaat, but this has not happened this year. Earlier this week, the agriculture minister reported bird flu on a farm in Blija, north-east Friesland, meaning 66,000 broiler chickens will be slaughtered.
The infections come from wild bird populations and farmers want more options in terms of chasing them away with lasers and sound guns.
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