Bird flu confirmed at Netherlands chicken farm

Dutch government bans transport of poultry and eggs throughout the country

The Dutch government has banned the transport of poultry and eggs throughout the country after confirming an outbreak of bird flu at a chicken farm (Getty)

The Dutch government has banned the transport of poultry and eggs throughout the country after confirming an outbreak of bird flu at a chicken farm.

The Ministry for Economic Affairs said today that the outbreak is deadly to poultry and can also be transmitted to humans, though spokesman Jan van Diepen said the exact strain of bird flu has not yet been established.

All 150,000 chickens at the farm in Hekendorp, 40 miles south of Amsterdam, are being slaughtered. It is not clear how the farm became infected.

As well as halting the movement of poultry, other birds and eggs nationwide for 72 hours, the government is imposing other restrictions, including banning the transport of byproducts such as poultry manure and hay that have been used in poultry farms.