To prevent the virus from spreading, the approximately 122,500 broilers are being culled. Clearance is being carried out by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), the Dutch government said in a release on Sunday.

There is one other poultry farm within a radius of 3 kilometers around the broiler farm where the outbreak occurred. Investigations are under way at this operation as well.

An additional 14 poultry farms are located in the 10 kilometre radius around the infected farm.

A transport ban has been announced immediately for poultry farms in a zone of 10 kilometers around the company in Tzum. A transport ban applies to all birds, hatching and table eggs, from a location with birds.

The ban also applies to bird manure and used litter, and to other animals and animal products from poultry farms. There is also a hunting ban in this area.

This is just one of many outbreaks that have occurred in The Netherlands this autumn.