New alarm: Avian influenza is spreading rapidly in Germany!

New alarm: Avian influenza is spreading rapidly in Germany!

Avian influenza, also known as bird flu (H5N1), continues to spread alarmingly in Germany. Daily reports of new outbreaks show that the disease remains a serious issue. Loud Poultry News The last update was published on November 2, 2025, reporting several new outbreaks.

There has been a new case in a turkey fattening farm in Emsland, where 18,000 turkey cocks are affected. This is the first confirmed case in this region, where 4,400 infected turkeys have also been reported. In the monitoring zone above there are already 55 commercial farms with more than 3 million animals as well as 240 hobby farms with around 3,900 animals.

Regional restrictions and stable requirement

In Wolfsburg, all poultry farmers with more than 50 animals were required to have stables in order to minimize the risk of further spread. The situation is similar in other districts: The Harburg district had suspicions of avian influenza in a duck farm, while in Oldenburg preparations are being made to kill the population in a goose farm. New suspected cases were also reported in various poultry farms in Vechta and Diepholz.

The requirement to keep stables has also been introduced in many other districts, such as Saxony-Anhalt and Hesse, where dead wild birds were recently found. In Brandenburg, almost nationwide measures are in force that affect more than seven companies. The federal government also warns of the dangers of the virus, which can be transmitted primarily by migratory birds and spreads quickly.

Impact on animal husbandry

Avian influenza poses an enormous challenge not only for the affected companies. The number of affected animals has been in the hundreds of thousands since September 2025. More than half a million animals have already been affected by over 31 outbreaks in poultry farms and 131 cases among wild birds. This also meant economic losses for many poultry farmers, as there was a risk of fines of up to 30,000 euros for violations of the stable requirement.

At the same time, pressure is growing on those responsible to develop a vaccine against bird flu in order to promote widespread vaccination of animals. Poultry News reports that many breeders and experts are calling for vaccination to combat the problem in the long term.

The steady spread of avian influenza remains a hot topic and the measures listed are just some of the steps being taken to contain the virus. It is hoped that through these measures and further research a solution will soon be found to protect both animal husbandry and the health of people in the affected regions.