Bird Flu Outbreak Threatens German Poultry Supply & Drives Price โConcerns
Berlin, October 27th – A worsening bird flu outbreak across Germany is raising concerns about โpotential disruptions to poultry supplies and a notable increase in egg prices. Authorities are currently undertaking large-scale culling efforts to contain the โฃspread of the virus.
Robert schmauk, head of the Bavarian poultry industry association, warned on Monday that egg prices could rise by as much as 50%. While he doesn’t anticipate empty supermarket shelves, Schmauk indicated that certain poultry products may โbecome less โreadily available due to increasedโค demand and โฃreduced supply.
As of Sunday,the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI),Germany’s federal animal health agency,reported that approximately 400,000 poultry – including chickens,ducks,geese,and turkeys – have been culled nationwide โฃacross more than 30 โcommercial farms. FLI head โChrista Kuehn stated that further outbreaks and cases are expected.
The eastern โขstates of Mecklenburg-western Pomerania and Brandenburg are currently the hardest hit. Nearly 150,000 laying hens have been culled in two locations within Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and authorities in Brandenburg โขannounced plans to cull โan additional 130,000โข animals on Sunday.
The FLI has elevated the risk level for poultry farms from “low” to “high,” attributing theโ surge in infections to the ongoing autumn bird โคmigration season.This year’s outbreak began earlier than usual, and with the peak of migration โstill to come, the risk of further spreadโ remains considerable.
Wild โbird populations are also significantly affected, especially cranes.โ The FLI reports an “unprecedented โคlevel of infections” among cranes in Germany, with volunteers collecting approximately 1,500 dead birds in the Linumer Teichland wetlands in Brandenburg by Saturday.
While some media have labeled โcranes as “super spreaders,” Kuehn clarified that while theyโข are highly susceptible and shed significant amounts of the virus, they are โnot the only source of transmission. Outdoor-raised poultry, like ducksโข and geese, are especially โคvulnerable due to โขpotential contact with wild birds, andโข the virus can also spread via contaminated footwear, vehicles, and equipment.
The Robert Koch Institute,Germany’s public health authority,assures the public that human infection remains rare,occurring only in isolated cases involving close contact with infected birds,such as farm workers.โฃ They advise avoiding direct contact with sick or dead wild birds.
This outbreak follows the country’s moast severe birdโข flu event on record during the 2020-2021 winter season,โ which resulted in the culling of over two million animals.
