Overview
- Germany has confirmed H5N1 in 66 commercial holdings since early September, and precautionary killings are nearing one million animals, according to the Friedrich‑Loeffler‑Institut, which logged about 15 new farm infections over the weekend.
- Niedersachsen remains most affected with 30 infected farms, while fresh cases include a large operation near Hamburg in Wistedt (13,000 geese and 26,000 ducks to be killed), a first confirmed outbreak in the Oldenburg district (5,950 birds culled), and a new Peking duck farm infection in Märkisch‑Oderland, Brandenburg (10,000 birds).
- Containment is tightening with county‑wide stall orders in Darmstadt‑Dieburg, expanded stall rules and 3 km/10 km restriction zones around outbreaks such as Wistedt and Kamp‑Lintfort, and broader hygiene and movement controls for poultry and products within surveillance areas.
- Wild‑bird mortality is surging, with thousands of cranes reported dead, including roughly 2,000 recovered in Saxony‑Anhalt and more than 2,200 in the Linum wetlands of Brandenburg, while experts highlight links between intensive poultry systems, transport and spillover to wild populations.
- Austria has designated the entire country a higher‑risk area to prevent spillover into domestic flocks, and German authorities reiterate that properly cooked poultry and eggs remain safe for consumers.