Viktor Schwabenland / pixelio.de 
Russia's agriculture watchdog, Rosselkhoznadzor, said it had decided to ban imports of live poultry and hatching eggs from the Netherlands starting 12 December due to an outbreak of a highly-contagious strain of the avian flu.
The H5N8 strain was confirmed on 22 November at a breeding poultry farm in the village of Kamperveen in the Dutch province of Overijssel, followed by outbreaks in western Netherlands.
In November, bird flu outbreaks were detected in the Dutch towns of Hekendorp, Ter Aar, Kamperveen and Zoeterwoude, prompting the government to introduce a raft of urgent measures that included bird culls, security zones around the infected farms, hunting bans and the total transport ban for poultry and eggs.
A statement at the Dutch government's webpage cited experts as saying that the virus apparently made it into the country through wild ducks. Migrating water fowl is believed to be natural carriers of bird flu viruses.
The H5N8 strain was confirmed on 22 November at a breeding poultry farm in the village of Kamperveen in the Dutch province of Overijssel, followed by outbreaks in western Netherlands.
In November, bird flu outbreaks were detected in the Dutch towns of Hekendorp, Ter Aar, Kamperveen and Zoeterwoude, prompting the government to introduce a raft of urgent measures that included bird culls, security zones around the infected farms, hunting bans and the total transport ban for poultry and eggs.
A statement at the Dutch government's webpage cited experts as saying that the virus apparently made it into the country through wild ducks. Migrating water fowl is believed to be natural carriers of bird flu viruses.
Source: Rosselkhoznadzor