March 23, 2004

Dutch Government Issues Cull Orders In Fourth Bird Flu Discovery

The Dutch government ordered the culling of 99 birds at a farm, the fourth this month, where tests have detected antibodies to a mild strain of bird flu, the farm ministry said on Monday.

The ministry had decided to order the cull of the birds, including ducks, chickens and doves, in Liempde in the south of the country after antibodies showed up that might indicate the birds have been in contact with the contagious virus.

The cull was ordered to stop any mild variant of avian flu from mutating into an aggressive form.

Last year such a mutation of the virus led to the slaughter of a quarter of all Dutch poultry at a cost of hundreds of millions of euros.

Follow-up testing aimed at isolating the virus in order to determine whether or not there is a case of avian flu are still under way.

Some 23,700 cullings have taken place since the first find of antibodies on March 13.

The ministry suspected the antibodies developed at two Dutch farms after they had imported ducks from abroad.