December 2, 2014

Another 50,000 birds culled in the Netherlands due to bird flu

Dutch authorities said earlier on Monday they will slaughter 50,000 birds at a poultry farm after bird flu was discovered nearby, Reuters reported.

Separate testing indicated that farm infections, which have led to the culling of about 300,000 birds at four locations, were not all from the same source, according to the deputy economic affairs minister.

Tests had confirmed an outbreak of the H5N8 strain at one farm in the western municipality of Zoeterwoude, where 28,000 laying hens were ordered destroyed on Sunday.

The cull at a nearby farm announced on Monday was a precautionary measure, and animal health authorities are testing poultry at other farms in the area.

Transport restrictions were imposed on the sector two weeks ago that have impacted about 2,000 poultry businesses. The Netherlands is the world's largest exporter of eggs and the largest exporter of poultry meat in the European Union.

Some experts believe that wild birds migrating from Asia carried the disease to Europe, where it infected flocks in Germany, Britain and the Netherlands.

The H5N8 strain has never been found in humans. It has led to the destruction of millions of farm birds in Asia, mainly South Korea, after an outbreak earlier this year.