The Netherlands has begun a pilot project to vaccinate poultry against avian influenza. The trial is taking place on one poultry farm. Dutch agriculture minister Femke Wiersma said government and the poultry sector were working together to make “large-scale vaccination possible step by step in a responsible manner.”
She said vaccination played an important role in significantly reducing the risk of bird flu outbreaks in poultry.
“I am pleased that the poultry sector wants to take this step with me. Vaccination offers a huge opportunity to better control bird flu. With this pilot, we are taking an important step towards a responsible and large-scale deployment of vaccination.”
The aim of the pilot is to investigate how the market reacts to the sale of products from vaccinated poultry, while at the same time to gain experience with the implementation of the surveillance programme on the other. The government said its surveillance programme would ensure any infection on a vaccinated farm was quickly detected.
The pilot will run until the beginning of 2027 and will start on one poultry farm, with possible expansion to several farms. Chicks will be vaccinated in the hatchery and are then placed as laying hens on a laying farm. The eggs from these hens will be sold exclusively within the Netherlands, so that trade with third countries is not hindered.