Free range chickens, ducks and other poultry birds in the Netherlands must be penned or otherwise sheltered from contact with wild birds starting February 20. The measure is to prevent the H5N1 virus from spreading into the country. The Dutch interior minister Veerman declared this new regulation on Monday in response to the virus being found in three EU countries: Greece, Italy and Slovenia.
Initially Veerman called the cooping up of birds to begin on March 1st. A spokesperson from the Dutch Organization for Poultry Farmers (NOP) was satisfied with the measures taken by the government. He stated that everyone from tourists to bird farmers should be aware of the situation and alert to the dangers on the spread of the virus.
