Avian influenza has been detected at a laying hen farm in the Dutch village Lutjegast. The presence of the virus has been confirmed by the National Reference Laboratory at Wageningen Bioveterinary Research. This is the first outbreak of the 2026/2027 avian influenza season.
There were 45,000 birds at the laying hen farm in Lutjegast (province of Groningen). These are being culled by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). The NVWA has also launched a contact tracing investigation.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN) has imposed a transport ban within the 10-kilometre zone around the farm in Lutjegast. There are no other poultry farms within a 3-kilometre radius of the infected farm. Within the 10-kilometre zone, there are 21 farms with poultry.
New season
The new 2026/2027 avian influenza season began on 1 October. With the arrival of wintering wild waterfowl and more favourable weather conditions for the survival of avian influenza virus particles in the environment, the risk of avian influenza outbreaks increases at this time of year. "This is a pattern we have seen in recent years and it means everyone is being extra vigilant for signs. Furthermore, outbreaks have been detected in recent weeks in neighbouring countries, including Belgium and Denmark," says Evelien Germeraad, one of the avian influenza experts at Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR, part of Wageningen University & Research). Research into the exact typing of the avian influenza virus is still ongoing.
The most recent avian influenza outbreak dates back to July 2026. This involved a hobby poultry farm in Zuid-Holland. "During the summer months of 2026, the virus was not entirely absent. We detected the virus in wild birds, particularly geese. Although the summer remained relatively quiet, it was known that the virus was still circulating and present in the area," says Monika Ballmann, head of the National Reference Laboratory for Avian influenza.
