In the countries of the European Union, there are no signs of easing in the bird flu situation. The Friedrich Loeffler Institute even fears that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) could become endemic, which would require a different approach to handling the disease.
In Germany, a large number of wild bird findings were reported again last week. However, outbreaks have also been confirmed in poultry flocks, most recently in Westerstede in Lower Saxony. There, a turkey farm with a total of 34,000 animals was affected, and immediate culling was ordered. Furthermore, a new protection zone was designated by the district, which according to their information includes about 115,000 poultry.
France has now moved to 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 carried out at outbreak sites on affected farms.
The area covered by the culling concerns the active centers of the departments Landes (40), Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64), and Gers (32). This area includes 226 municipalities (39 municipalities in Gers, 161 in Landes, and 26 in Pyrénées-Atlantiques).
Farms whose animals are depopulated will receive compensation under the same conditions as last year. At the same time, France is raising the topic of vaccination at the EU level in the context of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, so that a European framework can be established.