Netherlands: Avined expects fewer bird flu infections than last season

Chairman Bart-Jan Oplaat of Avined speaks of a wave movement that comes along once every few years. 'We have never experienced the situation as it was from autumn 2022 before. And it may sound harsh, but the virus is also wreaking havoc on nature. We expect that the virus pressure will therefore be lower this season.' Oplaat immediately imposes the condition that migratory birds from Russia do not bring a new variant that will predominate. 'Commercially kept poultry is less sensitive than waterfowl to the variant that is now dominant in the Netherlands.' When asked what will happen to the migratory birds this season, Oplaat cannot answer. Transmission of bird flu mainly takes place in Mongolia and Russia. Birds that bring the virus from Asia breed there. Due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, information exchange has virtually come to a standstill. 'We're sailing somewhat blindly.' Negligible risk When bird flu breaks out in a country, closing borders or asking for extra ...