The Dutch government has ordered commercial poultry farmers to keep their free range flocks indoors.

This move follows new cases of H5N1 near to the Netherlands. Three dead swans were found near Metz in northern France, which tests revealed had died from the  H5N1 virus. The same virus was found at a turkey farm in the Czech republic and dead birds found at three locations in Germany.

Ben Dullaert of the meat marketing board PVE added: “Metz-Nancy is not very far away from the Netherlands.”