Today, Thursday, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food issued a decision to extend the precautionary measures – Inventorying poultry in all farms Spanish to prevent the spread of bird flu. This comes after the increased risk of the disease entering Spain, which is already infecting some 1200 municipalities in the country, Located in areas considered to be of special risk and control.
Last Thursday, November 6, the government issued a decree banning outdoor breeding of birds, effective last Monday, but bird flu cases are on the rise. For this reason, the Ministry of Agriculture This commitment was expanded to include all poultry farmsIncluding organic farms, those intended for self-consumption, or those that produce meat or eggs for direct sale to the consumer.
This measure, which was published on Wednesday in the Official State Gazette, represents… Prohibiting the presence of animals outside. The ministry also prohibits raising ducks and geese with other types of poultry, giving water to animals from reservoirs that wild birds can access, and having poultry or other types of captive birds in animal concentration centers, such as livestock competitions or cultural exhibitions and celebrations.
Even if trapping birds was not possibleAutonomous communities may allow these animals to be kept outdoors by placing bird nets or any other device that prevents the entry of wild birds. In these cases, poultry will have to feed in covered areas, preventing access and contact of wild animals with food and drink intended for poultry.
The Ministry justified extending these restrictions after confirming the high risk of the disease entering Spain over the past week. To determine this level of risk, factors such as the number of outbreaks reported in Europe, the location of these outbreaks, and movements of wild birds from risk areas on the continent were taken into account. Since July, there have been notices 139 outbreaks of bird flu in European poultry farms. In the case of Spain, it has been registered 14 farm outbreakshalf of which are located in Castile and Leon, in addition 53 cases in wild birds and five in captive birds.
Moreover, during the past four weeks there has been a “significant” increase in the number of outbreaks of the disease among poultry and wild birds reported in the countries of Central and Northern Europe, areas from which a large number of migratory birds head towards Spain with the arrival of winter.
The Ministry considered that there was “Clear risk of infectionFrom wild birds to farms where rearing is done outdoors, which is why confinement of poultry has been adopted as a precautionary measure.
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