Netherlands culls 190000 ducks fearing bird flu outbreak
Around 190,000 ducks were destroyed at six farms in the Netherlands following an avian flu outbreak, the country’s first cull in response to an epidemic sweeping northern Europe.
Outbreaks of avian flu, primarily the highly pathogenic H5N8 strain, have been reported in Denmark, Finland, Germany and Sweden over the past week.
Dutch authorities did not say what strain of the virus had been discovered at a poultry farm in the village of Biddinghuizen, 70km east of Amsterdam. Outbreaks of the highly contagious H5N8 strain have been reported in Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Finland.
The Dutch authorities have not said which strain is involved. Officials said they were checking for bird flu at farms within three kilometres of the original site and imposed a ban on transporting poultry products within a 10km (six mile) radius.
Holland is the world’s second largest agricultural exporter and has more than 100 million hens, pigs, cows and sheep on high-intensity farms. The density makes the animals more vulnerable to disease outbreaks.
