The new action was announced in Brussels after an alarming rise in infections at commercial poultry farms in central and southern Poland. Details about the content of these emergency measures have not yet been released.
The Polish poultry sector is very concerned. Farmers and exporters fear that the EU will temporarily prohibit all exports from Poland, even from regions not (yet) affected by bird flu. They point out that such a decision would cause significant economic damage to the sector and could end Poland’s leading position in this industry.
Since Poland joined the European Union, the Polish poultry sector has grown significantly. Poland has now become one of the largest producers and exporters of chicken meat in Europe. Modernization of the sector and its integration into the European market have led to a rapid increase in production and export.
Other EU countries are also affected by bird flu. In Germany, the risk level for commercial poultry farms is currently assessed as "moderate." In contrast, hundreds of thousands of animals have already been culled in Hungary.
Isolated cases have been reported in Italy, Poland, Hungary, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Greece, Spain, Slovakia, Romania, the Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, and Ireland. The infections mostly occurred in waterfowl (ducks, geese, swans), but birds of prey, gulls, and waders were also affected.
Experts say the global spread of bird flu is largely due to migrating wild birds. These animals carry the virus over long distances. Outbreaks have been confirmed in multiple continents over the past months, including Asia, Europe, and North and South America.
Scientists note that the bird flu virus is increasingly jumping to other animal species. Infections have been detected in pigs, cows, and cats. In some cases, the virus was also found in seals and foxes. The H5N1 variant was detected in a seal colony on the southeast coast of England. Forty dead gray seals were found, and the virus was detected in a sample of 15 animals.