According to USDA-FAS report NL2020-0055 released on October 29th and a subsequent ProMED posting on October 31st, authorities in Holland identified a flock infected with highly pathogenic influenza strain H5N8.  The farm is located in Altforst in the Province of Gelderland, the Netherlands.  The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality has culled the flock of 35,000 broiler parents and appropriate quarantine and transport restrictions have been imposed in accordance with World Organization For Animal Health (OIE) requirements. 

The Netherlands experienced HPAI outbreaks in commercial flocks in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2017.  The source of infection has yet to be identified but it is presumed to be from free-living migratory birds. An H5 isolate was obtained from two wild mute swans on October 17th in Kockengen in the adjacent Province of Utrecht.