THE HAGUE, Nov 18, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Bird flu was detected on an organic chicken farm in the centre of the Netherlands for the first time this year, the government said on Monday.

Around 23,000 chickens on the farm in Putten, east of Amsterdam, will be culled in the first Dutch outbreak of avian flu since December 2023.

"Unfortunately, after a long period, we are again dealing with a company with a bird flu infection," said Agriculture Minister Femke Wiersma, adding that the outbreak was unsurprising but "drastic".

A dozen other poultry farms within three kilometres (1.8 miles) of the infected site will be monitored for ten days and a wider poultry transport ban in the area will be implemented, the government said.

"I can imagine that this is a heavy blow for the poultry farmer involved. We are taking appropriate measures and are closely monitoring the situation," Wiersma said in a statement.

While there are no national measures planned due to the outbreak, an animal safety group will conduct a risk assessment.

The last bird flu outbreak to hit the leading agricultural producer was also detected at a poultry farm in Putten last December.

During a bird flu epidemic in 2021 and 2022, some 5.8 million birds had to be culled, Dutch authorities said.