New general ruling on bird flu issued

Establishment of new protection and surveillance zones following a new case of avian influenza in a poultry flock

To protect against avian influenza (bird flu), the food monitoring and veterinary office of the district of Meißen issued a new general ruling on 10 December 2025. The reason for this is the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (subtype H5N1) in a poultry flock at Hühnerfarm Waldrose GmbH, based in the town of Radeburg. The affected flock of around 80,000 laying hens is located in the municipality of Ebersbach in the immediate vicinity of Radeburg.

Due to high mortality rates on the laying hen farm, swab samples and carcasses were sent to the Saxony State Institute for Health and Veterinary Inspection (LUA) for examination. Based on the findings, the suspected case was declared on 9 December 2025. The Friedrich-Löffler-Institut (FLI) confirmed the findings on the evening of 9 December 2025. In accordance with legal requirements, the laying hens from the affected flock will now be killed.

General ruling no. 3/2025 on protection against avian influenza (AI) establishes a new protection zone and a new surveillance zone. The protection zone has a radius of three kilometres and the surveillance zone has a radius of ten kilometres around the outbreak farm. Corresponding disease control measures are ordered for the zones. These include Notification obligation for livestock farms, movement ban, stabling obligation and compliance with various hygiene measures.

The general ruling can be found on the Meißen district website www.kreis-meissen.de under News - Announcements.

General ruling no. 2/2025 dated 10 November 2025 remains in force and regulates the requirement to keep animals confined and the ban on events for the entire district of Meißen. Accordingly, all birds and poultry kept in the district of Meißen must continue to be kept exclusively in closed stables or under an appropriate protective device. Flocks of kept birds with less than 50 animals outside the protection and surveillance zone are exempt from the obligation to keep them in confinement. However, it is also recommended that flocks of less than 50 birds be kept in a stall. The organisation of exhibitions, markets or events of a similar nature for listed species (birds, poultry) is prohibited in the district of Meißen.

General decree number 1/2025 dated 10 November 2025, which was issued following the outbreak of avian influenza in a poultry flock in the municipality of Ebersbach, is also still valid. The surveillance zones of both general rulings overlap in parts. The laying hen flock now affected is located on the edge of the surveillance zone already in force.

Walkers should exercise vigilance when handling wild birds and report any dead or diseased wild birds to the relevant veterinary office. Dead birds should not be touched, also to prevent the spread of the pathogen. Trained task forces collect the animal, which is then sent to the Saxony State Health and Veterinary Investigation Centre for testing. The food monitoring and veterinary office of the district of Meißen can be contacted on 03521 725-3502 or by email at .

Background:

Avian influenza (from the Latin avis, bird), also known colloquially as bird flu or avian influenza, is an infectious disease caused by viruses. These viruses occur in two variants (low or highly pathogenic) and different subtypes. Low pathogenic avian influenza viruses cause hardly any or only mild symptoms in domestic poultry. However, these viruses can spontaneously mutate into a highly pathogenic form (highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses, HPAIV), which then manifests clinically as avian influenza.

Avian influenza is highly contagious for domestic poultry and is characterised by severe general signs of illness. In chickens and turkeys, up to 100 per cent of the animals can fall ill and die within a few days. Ducks and geese often fall ill less severely, the disease does not always lead to death in these animals and can be completely overlooked in mild cases.

Sick animals excrete the pathogen in their faeces and with mucus or fluid from their beak and eyes. Other animals become infected through direct contact by inhaling or picking up material containing the virus. Eggs laid by infected animals can also contain the virus. Sick animals or animals that have died from avian influenza as well as their excrement, especially faeces, can also be a source of infection. In the event of an outbreak of avian influenza, the legislator has therefore stipulated immediate disease control measures.