The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has declared the high risk of bird flu in Spain and activated from next Monday, January 20, the order with preventive measures to mitigate its impact, among which are enclose poultry, as confirmed by ministerial sources.
Specifically, Outbreaks of free-range avian flu and in captive birds have been detected in recent months in the EUas well as in wild birds mainly in central and northern Europe. In the European Union, from July 1 to January 15, 2025, a total of 341 outbreaks in poultry and 684 in other non-poultry and wild birds have been reported through ADIS. Thus, 21 correspond to Spain, where the virus only circulates among wild birds.
In this way, after the cases reported in both wild and domestic birds in recent weeks, particularly poultry in neighboring countries such as France and Portugaltogether with the drop in temperatures in Spain during this month, as well as the regional risk maps of the presence of the virus, have made it advisable to increase the risk level at the national level, and apply risk mitigation measures in order to take a preventive.
The document also highlights that in recent weeks there has been an increase in the number of cases detectedboth in wild birds and poultry, which indicates a trend towards worsening of the situation with the consequent increase in risk for Spain.
In Galiciawill force the poultry of seven Galician town councils to be locked up, all in the province of Pontevedra – Cambados, O Grove, A Illa de Arousa, Meaño, Ribadumia, Sanxenxo and Vilanova de Arousa -.
In this way, the prevention measures that will come into force from January 20 will require the confinement of poultry in seven Galician municipalities included within the only Special Risk Zone (ZER) decreed in Galiciawhich corresponds to Cambados, O Grove, A Illa de Arousa, Meaño, Ribadumia, Sanxenxo and Vilanova de Arousa.
In this area open-air poultry farming will be prohibitedunless it is not possible. In this case, devices such as ‘bird nets’ must be installed to prevent wild birds from entering the facilities, where the provision of food and water to domestic birds will be restricted.
It is also left Prohibited the supply of water from tanks to which wild birds may have access and gatherings such as markets or exhibitions of any type of birds are suspended, as reported by the Rural Environment Department in a note provided to the media.
This last measure will also be applied in the town halls of the Special Surveillance Zones (ZEV): Ortigueira, Cariño, Rianxo, Ribeira, Porto do Son, Dumbría, Mazaricos, Vimianzo, Zas, Ribadeo, Trabada, Vilar de Santos, Sandiás, Porqueira, Xinzo de Limia, Rairiz de Veiga, A Guarda, O Rosal, Tomiño, Tui, Pontevedra, Soutomaior, Redondela, Moaña, Vilaboa, Marín, Vilagarcía de Arousa, Meis, and Poio.
The measures announced this Friday may be subject to review in the coming weeks based on epidemiological evolution. In any case, the Xunta calls for reinforcing biosecurity in poultry farms, both industrial and private, to avoid contact with wild birds and calls for intensifying surveillance tasks to notify the authorities of any suspicion of disease.
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