In the countries of the European Union, there are no signs of easing the bird flu situation. The Friedrich Loeffler Institute even fears that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) could become endemic, requiring different approaches to the disease.
In Germany, many wild finds were again reported last week. However, outbreaks in poultry stocks have also been confirmed, most recently in Westerstede in Lower Saxony. There, a turkey fattening farm with a total of 34,000 animals was struck, and the culling was ordered immediately. In addition, a new conservation area was designated by the district, which, according to its information, includes about 115,000 poultry.
France has now started preventive culling of duck and poultry farms in the southwest of the country. Preventive culling of all poultry and waterfowl is now necessary in addition to the culling already used in outbreaks on affected farms.
The area covered by the clearance concerns the active centers of the Landes (40), Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64) and Gers (32) departments. This area includes 226 municipalities (39 municipalities in the Gers, 161 municipalities in the Landes and 26 municipalities in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques).
Companies whose animals are depopulated will receive compensation under the same conditions as last year. At the same time, under the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, France is raising the subject of vaccination to EU level so that a European framework can be established.