Belgium sees rise in bird flu infections among wild birds
On Thursday, the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) announced that approximately 60 wild birds in Belgium have tested positive for bird flu. The agency stated that the number of infections in the country has been steadily rising over the past few weeks.
The virus has spread rapidly across Europe in recent weeks. To prevent further spread, several public parks in the south of Spain were closed, while the Netherlands has reintroduced nationwide caging and fencing requirement for poultry. In Germany, nearly a million infected birds were culled, and around a thousand cranes died following a major outbreak.
Increased vigilance
The rising number of cases has prompted increased monitoring in Belgium. On Thursday, the FASFC said the virus has been detected in roughly 60 wild birds across the country. "Because of the outbreaks in neighbouring countries, we are also extra vigilant here," said FASFC spokesperson Hélène Bonte.
According to the conservation group Natuurpunt, the cranes in Germany may have been infected through manure from a nearby chicken farm that was spread on fields near a resting area for the birds.
However, Bonte said such transmission is unlikely in Belgium, as the use of contaminated manure is strictly regulated under European rules. The FASFC believes the virus is more likely to spread through droppings from infected wild birds flying overhead or through contact with carcasses.
Due to the renewed spread of the virus, the price of eggs in Belgium has reached a new record. The cullings, alongside a tight market with high demand ahead of the end-of-year period, has pushed the wholesale price to 0.1846 cents for an egg, according to figures from the egg price commission in Kruisem.
PHOTO © Odd ANDERSEN / AFP
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