What is bird flu?
Bird flu is a contagious disease that affects poultry (such as chickens) and wild bird species (such as geese). The bird flu season normally starts around October, when migratory birds from Siberia come to Europe to winter. The bird flu virus can already reach the poultry if an infected bird defecates near a poultry farm.
In the spring the migratory birds fly back and that is how the bird flu often goes out for six months. The H5N1 virus, the type of bird flu virus currently prevalent, was also very active in the summer this year. After that, the infections continued unabated.
As of October 5, 2022, there will be national measures to combat the disease, such as a national obligation to keep cages and to screen off locations with high-risk birds.