Bird flu find spurs big chicken cull

DUTCH authorities say they have found a highly contagious strain of bird flu at a poultry farm in the central Netherlands, and have set about destroying 150,000 chickens.

The strain, H5N8, has never been detected in humans, but an outbreak in South Korea meant millions of farm birds had to be slaughtered to contain the outbreak. Cases have also been reported in China and Japan, although the strain was first reported in Europe, on a German farm, in early November.

The Netherlands imposed a 72-hour ban on transportation of poultry products, including birds, eggs, dung and used straw to and from poultry farms across the country, the world’s leading egg exporter.

Between them, Dutch poultry farms sell more than 6 billion eggs abroad every year, though it is not known how many of the 697 farms are exporters. Germany is the largest destination, at 75 per cent of all exports, figures published by Rabobank showed. The Netherlands is also a leading poultry exporter.

Agricultural inspectors started destroying the 150,000 chickens at the farm in the village of Hekendorp, and banned poultry transport across the whole of the Netherlands.

The H5N8 strain of bird flu was reported in Germany on November 4 on a farm in the northeastern state of MecklenburgVorpommern after it caused widespread destruction in Asia.

‘‘It’s a highly pathogenic strain for birds,’’ said Dutch Economics Ministry spokesman Jan van Diepen. ‘‘For people it’s not that dangerous: you’d only get it if you were in very close contact with the birds.’’

The farm at Hekendorp sold eggs rather than poultry, another spokesman said.

Produce from the farm was sold primarily in the Netherlands, the farm’s owner Piet Wiltenburg said, with some also exported to Germany. ‘‘There is absolutely nothing wrong with that produce,’’ he said.