Bird flu found on Dutch poultry farm

THE HAGUE - Avian Influenza, known as bird flu, was detected on an organic poultry farm with 24,000 hens in Zeewolde, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs reported on Tuesday.

It's probably a mild H7 version of the virus which is not dangerous to human health. The chickens on the farm still have to be cleared, in accordance with European rules, because a mild variant can mutate into a highly contagious and deadly variant which kills chickens.

From Tuesday afternoon, a transport ban of poultry, eggs and poultry manure has been imposed in an area of over 1 km around the farm in Zeewolde, Flevoland province. Within this area, there are no other poultry farms.

A week ago, a mild version of bird flu was also found on a poultry farm in Lochem. It is not yet clear whether both farms suffered from the same virus.