Almost 1 million birds culled as Germany tackles avian flu outbreak
03.11.2025, DPA
Photo: Christophe Gateau/dpa
Almost 1 million birds have been culled in Germany as the country grapples with a serious outbreak of avian influenza.
The Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) on Monday said the spread of the disease is already comparable to previous record year of 2021.
"We had a very early start to the wave of infections in 2025 and now have to wait and see whether it will also subside earlier," said a spokeswoman for the animal health agency, which is headquartered on the Baltic Sea island of Riems.
Infections with the highly contagious H5N1 bird flu virus have been detected in 66 poultry farms across Germany since the beginning of September, with nearly 1 million birds being culled as a preventive measure. In addition, nearly 300 dead wild birds have been found to be infected with the bird flu virus.
According to the FLI, bird flu affected a total of 286 poultry farms, zoos and private holdings in 2021.
More than 2 million farm animals were culled in that year. If the infection continues to spread at the same rate, similar figures can be expected by the end of the year, said the spokeswoman.
In view of the large number of new cases of infection, FLI President Christa Kühn has dampened hopes that the current wave of bird flu will subside quickly.
A shift in the infection towards the south-west is considered likely, as the virus is being carried further by the autumn bird migration.
Avian influenza is often fatal to many bird and poultry species.
No letup for German farmers as bird flu spreads further
31.10.2025, DPA
Photo: Christophe Gateau/dpa
A severe outbreak of bird flu gripping Germany continues to spread, with commercial poultry farms in 10 of the country's 16 federal states now affected, according to official figures on Friday.
A total of 48 farms have reported outbreaks of avian influenza since early September, said the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI), which is responsible for monitoring animal health.
The latest figures show that bird flu has been confirmed at another three farms since Thursday.
All livestock at the affected farms has been culled to prevent the virus from spreading further, with more than 525,000 animals killed so far.
An FLI spokesman urged caution, saying cases could rise further due to the dynamic nature of the outbreak.
Avian influenza is an infectious disease that is often fatal to many species of birds.
The state of Lower Saxony has recorded the most cases so far, with confirmed infections in 17 poultry farms. This is followed by the eastern states of Brandenburg with eight farms affected and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with six.
The highly contagious H5N1 variant has been officially confirmed in 248 carcasses of wild birds, though the number of animals that have died from it is far higher, the FLI said.
In Brandenburg alone, several thousand cranes have died from the disease. The state surrounds the capital, Berlin.
In a bid to protect livestock, the states of Saarland and Hamburg ordered a statewide ban on free-range poultry farming, with the aim of preventing bird flu from spreading to breeding, fattening and domestic poultry stocks.
Other states have since introduced their own bans on free-range poultry farming, though often limited to certain regions.
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