In this file photo dated Nov 21, 2014, persons in protective gear work at the poultry farm in Ter Aar, just east of The Hague, where 43,000 laying hens are being culled to prevent any possible spread of bird flu infection. (JEROEN JUMELET / ANP / AFP)
THE HAGUE – Authorities have discovered an outbreak of what they suspect is the highly-contagious bird flu strain at a farm in the Netherlands and about 168,000 chickens will be culled, the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
There are no other poultry farms in the immediate vicinity but those within a radius of 10 kilometers (six miles) have been banned from transporting poultry, eggs and poultry waste to prevent the spread of the H5N1 virus, the ministry said.
Hundreds of thousands of chickens, ducks, turkeys and dozens of wild birds have been culled in the Netherlands since outbreaks of the disease began in 2021.
READ MORE: New Dutch bird flu outbreak will see 190,000 chickens culled
