– Has a stomach ache – VG

The bird flu that has spread across Europe in recent weeks has reached Norway. This is confirmed by a sample that the Veterinary Institute has made of the short-beaked goose that was found dead at Sandnes in Rogaland.

– The most important thing now is to make sure that we do not get infected with our production animals, says Ole-Herman Tronerud, veterinarian and senior advisor to the animal health section of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, to VG.

To protect Norwegian herds from infection, farms in what is defined as a high-risk area must ensure that all production animals are kept under tight roofs.

Tronerud estimates that this zone will include coastal municipalities from Rogaland to Østfold, to protect poultry against airborne diseases.

– The great horror

The news spread to egg and chicken producers last night.

– My stomach really hurts. For everyone who practices poultry, bird flu is the great fear, says Deputy Leader of the Norwegian Poultry Association Tone Steinsland (42).

She is the county team leader and the third generation to run a hatchery and breeding of laying hens on the family farm on the outskirts of Bryne in Jæren.

Hos Steinsland & co. more than five million chickens hatch each year.

– We are pleased that avian flu has been detected, emergency preparedness has been implemented and a curfew has been introduced. Now we take biosecurity work to a higher level.

Saved in all the years

The last time a curfew was introduced in Norway was when bird flu was registered in 2017 in Sweden. But at that time the disease did not reach Norway.

– We have been rid of outbreaks for all these years, but we know that neighboring countries and the rest of the world have suffered great losses due to bird flu, says Steinsland.

She hopes the situation doesn’t get worse.

– Now the warning lights are on, but we don’t turn it into drama until we have to. It’s important for everyone to be vigilant, says Tone Steinsland.

The freewheel should be taken in

30 percent of Norway’s chicken and egg production takes place in Rogaland.

Steinsland says that less than one percent of commercial poultry farming in Rogaland takes place outdoors. In eastern Norway, seven percent of chickens are free range.

– Anything that is free is taken until the threat is degraded. Hobby animals are preferable outdoors, but I don’t have an overview of them, says Steinsland.

Avian flu is of the H5N8 type, which is the same type that is currently seen in other parts of Europe. This is what is called “highly pathogenic”. This means that it can cause more serious disease in birds than a low pathogenic virus.

First time in Norway

This is the first time this form of bird flu has been detected in Norway.

According to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, a human infection with this virus has never been detected.

Tronerud believes that Norwegian farms are well equipped to protect their animals.

– There have been requirements for protection against lice and infections for many years. Bird flu is just a disease. The fact that we have such a low prevalence of salmonella in Norway shows that we can maintain a good distinction between wild birds and domestic birds..

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Ask people to notify the Norwegian Food Safety Authority

– How great is the danger that bird flu is now spreading to Norwegian farm animals?

– We consider the opportunity to be good enough for us to keep it out.

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority encourages everyone who sees dead birds to notify them, so they can be tested for infection. Sick and dead birds should also not be touched due to other infectious agents such as salmonella.

Denmark recently raised the risk level from “very low” to “high” for bird flu after bird flu was found on November 6 in a peregrine falcon in Lolland.

Bird flu has spread across Europe in recent weeks. In the Netherlands, 190,000 chickens were culled after highly contagious bird flu was discovered on at least two farms. Animals have also been slaughtered in Denmark and France.