Order to confine all farm birds in Spain due to avian flu

BarcelonaThe Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has decreed the confinement, starting this Thursday, of all free-range poultry on farms across the country. The measure represents a "reinforcement" of preventative measures to control the spread of avian influenza, according to the Spanish government, given that it is a highly contagious viral disease. The executive branch has issued a ministerial order extending the prohibition on keeping animals outdoors to all poultry farms, including organic farms, those for personal consumption, and those producing meat or eggs for direct sale to consumers. The measure had been in effect since Monday in areas considered to be at special risk and under special surveillance, which until now comprised 1,201 municipalities.

First case of avian flu on a Catalan farm: 90,000 birds culled

Since July, 139 outbreaks of avian influenza have been reported on European poultry farms, 14 of which were detected on Spanish farms. Half of the cases in Spain were reported in Castile and León, and none on Catalan farms. However, all poultry farms in the country must now also comply with a series of measures as part of the extended lockdown. These measures include a ban on raising ducks and geese with other poultry species, providing birds with water from reservoirs accessible to wild birds, and protecting outdoor water reservoirs from wild waterfowl. Competitions or exhibitions featuring poultry are prohibited, and when confinement of the birds is not possible, the competent authority in each autonomous community may authorize keeping them outdoors by installing bird netting. The disease, which affects birds and has an incubation period of 21 days, is generally not transmissible to humans and primarily affects chickens and turkeys, while geese and ducks appear to be more resistant. Affected animals shed the virus through nasal, oral, and ocular secretions, as well as feces, resulting in transmission via three routes: direct contact, contaminated food, water, and equipment, or airborne transmission. [We are working to expand this information]