Avian Influenza Crisis in Germany Leads to Culling of 400,000 Birds Amid Calls for Stronger Measures

Germany is grappling with a severe avian influenza outbreak in 2025 that has forced the culling of approximately 400,000 poultry, including chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys, across more than 30 commercial poultry operations. According to the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), the hardest hit regions are Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg, where almost 150,000 laying hens were culled in Vorpommern and around 130,000 more in Märkisch-Oderland. Other affected states such as Niedersachsen, Bayern, Thüringen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, and Baden-Württemberg have also reported numerous infections with the highly contagious H5N1 virus, leading to thousands of animals being destroyed.

The outbreak has escalated earlier than usual this year, coinciding with the autumn bird migration. In particular, cranes in the Linumer Teichland region have suffered unprecedented levels of mortality. FLI President Professor Christa Kühn warned about the substantial virus pressure from infected wild birds and urged the public to avoid contact with wild birds, especially those that appear sick or dead. She emphasized the indirect risk of transmission through contaminated footwear or equipment.

Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer responded to the crisis by advocating for increased compensation payments to affected poultry farmers, proposing an increase from 50 to up to 110 euros per culled animal. Additionally, poultry farmers are pressing for a nationwide mandatory housing order for birds, aiming to curb the virus spread and limit economic damage.

The infections have already caused losses amounting to millions of euros, with some individual farms, particularly in Brandenburg, facing losses estimated at around half a million euros. While the general population’s risk of infection remains low, authorities stress the importance of rigorous hygiene protocols to reduce the likelihood of virus transmission to domestic poultry farms.

This wave of avian influenza in Germany mirrors the severe outbreak of 2021 but continues to evolve, highlighting the ongoing threat posed by wild birds as vectors and the pressing need for coordinated preventive actions at the national level.