Italy is set to receive EUR27.2 million (US$29.5 million) to support the poultry sector that was hit by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in 2021.
According to a recent announcement, the funds will come from the agricultural reserve of the European Commission (EC). This follows agreement by the majority for European Union member states.
As soon as the first cases of H5 HPAI were confirmed in the country in October of 2021, the required animal health and veterinary measures were taken in Italy. Despite this, 294 outbreaks occurred in a number of poultry species over the following three months. As a result, farms in areas of movement restriction endured losses in the production of hatching eggs, shell eggs, live birds, and poultry meat. Furthermore, poultry meat and eggs from these areas were downgraded or destroyed.
Equating to 50% of the compensation expenditure paid by the Italian state to affected farmers, the payment is expected to be released later this month. September 30 is the deadline for the payments to be passed to affected producers.
Outbreaks on European poultry farms creep up
So far in 2023, 215 outbreaks have been reported in commercial poultry flocks, according to the EC’s Animal Disease Information System (as of March 19).
One or more outbreaks have occurred in 17 countries covered by the EC since the start of the year.
Based on information supplied to the EC, France has the highest number of outbreaks — 64 so far this year — which is just one more than reported on March 10. Next comes Poland (56 for the year so far), Hungary (29), and the Czech Republic (20).
Since the EC’s previous report dated March 10, four new outbreaks have been registered by Germany, and one each in Denmark, France, and Italy.
HPAI returns to poultry farms of Sweden, Hungarian county
Across the continent generally, the recent easing in the HPAI situation in poultry has continued.
Further details on outbreaks are provided by national animal health authorities to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
For the first time since December of 2021, the H5N1 HPAI virus serotype was detected on a poultry farm in Sweden. According to the WOAH notification, affected was a flock of around 23,600 parent poultry at a farm in the county of Skåne in the far south of the country. More than 1,100 of the birds died, and the rest have been destroyed.
In the north Hungarian county of Heves, the same virus serotype was detected last month following a hiatus of almost six years. There were around 5,200 poultry of an unspecified type at the farm, more than 200 of which died. Meanwhile, in the southern county of Baks-Kiskun, two further outbreaks have been confirmed to WOAH. These bring the county’s outbreak total to 100 since November of last year.
Two further HPAI outbreaks have been confirmed to WOAH in the central Polish province of Greater Poland. During the third week of March, the H5 virus was detected in two commercial meat duck flocks totaling more than 9,600 birds.
In France, the outbreak total on farms since August of last year is unchanged at 314, according to the latest French agriculture ministry update. The atest outbreak reported to WOAH began on March 10.
Since November of 2021, the French authorities have registered 1,688 HPAI outbreaks on the nation’s farms. Directly impacted have been more than 20.7 million commercial farms.
To WOAH, the veterinary authorities of Slovenia and Spain have declared the HPAI situation “resolved” in their respective poultry sectors.
Mild avian flu detected in Scotland
For the first time in the current season, a low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) virus has been detected in poultry in the United Kingdom (U.K.). The virus serotype has been identified as H7N3. The usual restrictions and preventative measures have been put in place at and around the affected premises, which is in Dumfries in Scotland.
Meanwhile, the H5N1 HPAI virus was detected at a farm in southwestern England last week, according to the agriculture department, Defra. It brings to 22 the number of outbreaks in the U.K.’s poultry flocks (commercial and backyard) so far this year.
Further outbreaks recorded in captive birds
As of March 19, 10 European nations have notified the EC’s System of HPAI cases in “captive birds” since the start of 2022. Covering backyard and hobby poultry flocks as well as premises such as zoos, the total stands at 73 across the region for the year so far.
Affected since the start of January have been 27 premises in Germany, 25 in France, and eight in Belgium. The German and French totals have each risen by one since the EC’s previous updated dated March 10.
Over the past 10 days, three further outbreaks in this category have been registered with WOAH by the Dutch authorities. Reported retrospectively, these occurred in hobby flocks during the month of January and February.
WOAH has also been notified of two further outbreaks in Belgium, and one each in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, and Switzerland.
Europe’s wild bird outbreak total this year passes 1,400
So far this year, a total of 1,419 outbreaks of HPAI have already been registered through the EC’s System by 22 European states (as of March 19).
With 363 since the start of January, Germany has confirmed the most outbreaks in this category. France’s total remains at 256, followed by the Netherlands (155), Belgium (141), Austria (97), Italy (93), Switzerland (82), and Denmark (55). Each of the other countries reporting outbreaks has a total of between one and 40 outbreaks so far this year.
Also confirming new cases of HPAI in wild birds with WOAH over the past 10 days have been Austria, the Republic of Ireland, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the U.K.
View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation.
