Poultry in Lockdown After Belgium Detects Bird Flu

Nov 16, 2021

Belgium ordered its poultry into lockdown from Monday after detecting a case of bird flu in a wild duck, extending avian quarantine measures already in place in neighbouring countries.

Authorities are attempting to prevent farm birds coming into contact with wild migratory ones to prevent the H5N1 virus from spreading.

The sickened wild duck was found in Schilde, a town on the eastern outskirts of Antwerp, Belgium's second-biggest urban agglomeration.

Neighbouring France and the Netherlands have imposed similar poultry lockdowns over the past three weeks following outbreaks on their territories.

Belgium's restrictions require poultry breeders and hobbyists to keep their birds locked away and to ensure they do not drink from water accessible to wild birds.

The public was also urged to notify authorities of any dead birds found.

"We want to avoid this illness infecting our poultry and prevent the sort of harm the sector has suffered in the past," Agriculture Minister David Clarinval said.

The national food safety agency said that "the virus currently being transmitted... is not dangerous to humans".

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.