USDA-FAS GAIN report NL2022-0023 issued on April 22nd documents measures taken by authorities in the Netherlands to suppress H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. Since the onset of the epornitic in October 2021, there have been 37 major outbreaks of influenza on commercial poultry farms. A cluster has recently occurred in th
e province of Gelderland, focusing on the municipality of Barneveld the epicenter of egg production in the Nation. The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality reported that there are 229 commercial poultry farms located within a 6.5-mile radius of the index farm that held 35,000 hens confirmed to be infected on April 15th.
Authorities in Holland are following the guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) to control the initial outbreak and to prevent lateral spread.
These include:
- Culling of all farms diagnosed with HPAI
- Preemptive depletion of seven unaffected farms within a 0.6-mile radius of the index farm.
- Intensive surveillance on 19 farms within 1.9 miles of the index farm
- Restrictions on movement of live poultry, eggs and manure within a 6.5-mile radius.
Following the initial outbreaks of HPAI in wild swans on October 17th, sporadic cases occurred in small commercial farms. With an increased rate of recovery of H5N1 virus from free-living birds the Ministry of Agriculture mandated that all poultry should be confined to barns from October 26th 2021 onwards.
Exports of poultry products from Holland have been impacted by outbreaks of HPAI with 36 nations imposing some form of import ban including the Philippines, Hong Kong, Viet Nam and Cuba.