Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Germany Culls Over 500,000 Birds as H5N1 Outbreak Accelerates

An unusually early, wild‑bird‑driven wave is triggering tighter regional controls, with industry pressing for a national housing order.

Overview

  • The Friedrich‑Loeffler‑Institut reports more than 500,000 poultry culled and about 30 outbreaks in holdings, with confirmations centered in Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern and Brandenburg.
  • Two Vorpommern farms lost nearly 150,000 laying hens and Märkisch‑Oderland ordered culling of roughly 130,000 animals, while additional cases span Lower Saxony, Bavaria, Thuringia, North Rhine‑Westphalia and Baden‑Württemberg.
  • Authorities imposed protected zones, 30‑day farm closures and transport and trade bans up to 10 kilometers; some districts ordered housing of flocks, including a six‑month mandate in Hesse’s Groß‑Gerau.
  • Heavy crane die‑offs highlight high virus pressure during autumn migration, with FLI warning to avoid wild‑bird carcasses and contaminated gear that could carry H5N1 into barns.
  • Economic losses run into the millions as the agriculture minister proposes raising per‑animal compensation up to €110, while public‑health agencies say general human risk is low and properly cooked poultry remains safe.