Research in Russia has revealed that the most prevalent variant of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus circulating in Europe this winter had gained the ability to infect humans. Meanwhile, the slow-down in new outbreaks among poultry in France seems to be continuing, while new cases have been registered in Germany, Poland and Sweden.

Finnish meat and poultry company Atria has agreed to sell its Russian subsidiary, OOO Pit-Product, to Cherkizovo Group, the largest meat and poultry producer in Russia, for an estimated price of EUR35 million (US$42.1 million).

Insect protein for feeds is another area that lately is attracting my attention. Insect production is becoming more and more visible in our industry, with several startups and other companies investing more than EUR1 billion (US$1.2 billion), expecting EUR2 billion by 2025, as per the International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed, (IPIFF).

There are some signs of improvement in the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) situation in France, according to agriculture and food minister Julien Denormandie.

Learn how broiler producers in Europe are improving some bird welfare outcomes.

There is light at the end of the tunnel for the global poultry industry despite ongoing disease challenges

Without additional actions, the legal ban on chick culling causes creates a reasonable disadvantage for supply chains with chicks that have hatched in Germany.

Cultured meat could be a bigger threat to animal proteins than plant-based alternatives, claimed Nick Lin-Hi, Professor of Economics and Ethics at the University of Vechta, Germany.

Today’s meat producers need to keep a close eye on laboratory grown meat and consider whether embracing the technology may be the route to their long-term survival

Over the past week, the first outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) of the winter season have been confirmed in poultry in Bulgaria and Ukraine, while a mild form of the disease has been detected in Italy.

The European Union's demand for chicken meat is forecast to keep growing but the bloc's poultry producers are increasingly suffering under the weight of high costs and more onerous regulations.

As the number of outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) among poultry in France approaches 450, the virus has also been detected on large commercial farms in Germany, Poland, Russia, and Sweden.