Hardly any infections with bird flu in the Netherlands, housing obligation revoked | Animals

The Ministry of Agriculture announced the withdrawal of the housing obligation on Wednesday afternoon. In large parts of the country, there was no longer any obligation to keep poultry in cages. This was only the case in Limburg’s Peel and the Gelderse Vallei, a region in central Netherlands with many poultry farmers.

Poultry farmers with more than 250 pheasants, flightless birds and ornamental water birds were subject to a shielding obligation. This means that the animals must be kept in an aviary, for example. This way they do not come into contact with sick wild birds or their droppings. That shielding obligation was also withdrawn on Wednesday afternoon.

The last bird flu infection on a poultry farm was on December 1 last year. There have also not been many infections at companies in other European countries recently.

Bird flu has been detected in wild birds in Denmark and Northern Germany, among others, but because these birds now mainly migrate north, this does not pose a danger to the Netherlands.

The bird flu virus is still a problem worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently called it an “animal pandemic”.

Bird flu can end up in our country again through migratory birds. Outgoing minister Piet Adema calls the situation “very unpredictable”. He also does not rule out that further measures will be necessary soon.

When the national lockdown requirement was abolished in November, it only lasted two weeks. Due to infections on several farms, poultry had to be brought back indoors after a short time.