Bird flu was found in two dead mute swans. It concerns the variant H5N8. It can spread from wild birds to animals on poultry farms. Minister Schouten of Agriculture has investigated how great that risk is now.
Six dead mute swans were found in Kockengen, near Utrecht. Two of them were sent to the university in Wageningen, where researchers found the virus in the swans yesterday. The H5N8 virus was found in August in mute swans in Russia, a month later in Kazakhstan and this month in Israel.
Wild mute swans do not migrate between Europe and Russia. According to the university, the virus probably entered the Netherlands through other bird species. “This suggests that the virus is circulating locally among wild birds in the Netherlands”, writes the university. At the same time, it is unclear whether the virus has spread further in the Netherlands.
‘Great risk of transmission’
The virus can also reach poultry farms via the droppings of wild birds. The university says the risk of this is now high, especially in areas where there are many wild water birds. The animal diseases expert group will map out the risk on behalf of the Minister. The minister will then decide whether further steps are necessary.
At the end of last year, the H5N8 virus spread across Europe from a poultry farm in Poland. As a result, between February and April there was an obligation to keep up in the Netherlands.
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