Belgium’s first case of Newcastle disease since 2010 has been detected at a farm in Haaltert.
A flock of 57,820 birds was affected, the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). Of the birds in that flock, nearly 6,100 birds died, while the remaining ores were killed and to be disposed of.
The presence of Newcastle disease was suspected on June 28, and following nucleotide sequencing and real-time reverse transcriptase/polymerase chain reaction testing, the birds tested positive for Newcastle disease.
Control measures applied include stamping out, zoning, surveillance outside the containment and/or protection zone, surveillance within the containment and /or protection zone and traceability. Control measures to be carried out include the official destruction of animal products and the official disposal of carcasses, by-products and waste.
According to the OIE, the last time that there was a confirmed case of Newcastle disease in Belgium was in August 2010.
OIE will continue to submit weekly follow-up reports until it considers the Newcastle disease situation in Belgium to be resolved.
While Newcastle disease is causing problems for one farm in Belgium, there have been multiple cases of virulent Newcastle disease in the United States. As of July 12, there have been 52 confirmed cases in three California counties, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health and Inspection Service (APHIS).
Another poultry-related problem in Belgium
The news of Newcastle disease being detected in Belgium comes only about a week after another piece of bad news affecting people in the poultry industry.
Agro Remijesen, a Belgian-based company that supplied Fipronil to two Dutch egg farms, has filed for bankruptcy. Since fipronil is a pesticide illegal for use in food-producing animals, this led to a major scandal that shook the egg industry in Europe and beyond during 2017.
One year after that scandal hit, it was reported that about 73,000 eggs of Dutch origin have been recalled from stores in Germany after they were found to be contaminated with fipronil.
