Madrid, 14 Jan (EFE).- The European Commission (EC) has updated its emergency measures against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in response to 60 new outbreaks on poultry farms in Spain, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Sweden.
The Implementing Decision 2026/107, published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) on Wednesday, 14 January 2026, replaces Decision 2025/2660 in order to update the areas of the protection and surveillance zones established around the affected farms, particularly in Belgium, Spain and Sweden.
In Spain, the demarcated protection and surveillance zones are now centred around parts of the districts of Urgell (Tร rrega), Pla d’Urgell (Mollerussa), Garrigues (Borges Blanques) and Noguera (Balaguer), all in the province of Lleida, following the confirmation of the first case of 2026 at a farm housing 9,000 breeder hens in Lleida. In 2025, Spain recorded a total of 15 outbreaks resulting in the culling of 2,931,951 farm birds, of which 94.38% were commercial laying hens, 2.81% breeders, 1.84% broilers and 0.97% turkeys.
Zones have also been modified following an outbreak on poultry farms in the Belgian region of West Flanders, two outbreaks on poultry farms in the Bulgarian regions of Pazardzhik and Plovdiv, two outbreaks on poultry farms in the Czech region of Vysoฤina, and one outbreak on poultry farms in the Danish region of Central Jutland.
There have also been nine outbreaks on poultry farms in the German states of Baden-Wรผrttemberg, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, and a further five in the French departments of Brittany, Drรดme, Hauts-de-France, Pays de la Loire and Vendรฉe.
In Italy, seven outbreaks on poultry farms have been confirmed in the Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Piedmont, Tuscany and Veneto; in Hungary, two outbreaks on poultry farms in Csongrรกd-Csanรกd County; and in the Netherlands, five outbreaks on poultry farms in the provinces of Limburg and North Brabant.
Meanwhile, 20 outbreaks have occurred in Poland on poultry farms in the regions of Lublin, Lubusz, Podlaskie, Pomerania, Greater Poland and ลรณdลบ, as well as one outbreak among captive birds in the Lower Silesia region.
In addition, Portugal has recorded a new outbreak on a poultry farm in the district of Santarรฉm, and Sweden has reported three further outbreaks in the province of Scania.
For more information on Avian Influenza:
-. News on Vaccination of poultry farmers and staff in contact with production birds to reduce the risk of zoonotic transmission.
-. News on Vaccination of production birds to prevent AI outbreaks
-. Avian Influenza on NeXusAvicultura
Tracking of Avian Influenza cases on poultry farms in Spain in 2025:
-. 1st outbreak of 2025 (18 July, Extremadura): Alert following an Avian Influenza outbreak on a farm housing 7,000 turkeys in Extremadura
-. 2nd outbreak (28 July, Toledo): Second AI outbreak detected, this time in breeder hens in Toledo
-. 3rd outbreak (1 Sept., Huelva): The spectre of H5N1 returns to Andalusia: 8,500 turkeys culled due to avian influenza in Huelva.
-. 4th outbreak (8 Sept., Guadalajara): Spain records its fourth AI outbreak of 2025, this time on a breeder farm in Guadalajara
-. 5th outbreak (9 Sept., Huelva): H5N1 positive confirmed on the farm housing 8,400 poultry in Valverde del Camino, Huelva, Andalusia
-. 6th outbreak (19 Sept., Valladolid): H5N1-type AI detected on a farm housing 760,000 laying hens in Valladolid
-. 7th, 8th and 9th outbreaks (1 Oct., Valladolid and Madrid): 552,000 laying hens affected by three new AI outbreaks in Madrid and Valladolid
-. 10th outbreak (6 Oct., Valladolid): Tenth Avian Influenza outbreak detected in Spain. More than 800,000 laying hens to be culled.
-. 11th outbreak (13 Oct., Valladolid): Eleventh Avian Influenza outbreak detected in Spain on a farm housing 66,000 laying hens.
-. 12th outbreak (15 Oct., Valladolid): 315,000 new laying hens affected in the latest outbreak
-. 13th outbreak (16 Oct., Toledo): 112,000 laying hens in Yeles, Toledo
-. 14th outbreak (20 Oct., Valladolid): 54,000 broiler chickens in Valladolid (from 20 Oct. to 24 Dec. there were no cases on poultry farms in Spain).
-. 15th outbreak (24 Dec., Lleida): Farm housing 230,000 laying hens in Lleida hit by Avian Influenza on Christmas Eve
Tracking of Avian Influenza cases on poultry farms in Spain in 2026 :
-. 1st outbreak of 2026 (9 January, Lleida): First Avian Influenza outbreak of 2026 in Spain. Secondary to the 24 December outbreak in Bellpuig, occurring on a farm housing 9,000 breeder hens.
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