Bird flu, record number of cases in Europe. Italian farmers: outbreaks under control

Cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild birds in Europe have never been so high: 1,443 cases intercepted between 6 September and 14 November 2025, during autumn migrations. This number is four times higher than for the same period in 2024 and the highest ever for those weeks since at least 2016. This is written by the Efsa - Food Safety Authority in an official Bulletin.

But Unaitalia - the Association representing the Italian poultry sector - reassures that in our country the attention is maximum, that the situation regarding the avian influenza outbreak is fully under control and - together with the European authorities - firmly reiterates that 'there is no danger to human health linked to the consumption of poultry meat or eggs. Transmission to humans is a rare event, ruling out any cause for alarm for the general population'.

But let us proceed in order. Almost all the cases recorded by the Parma Food Safety Authority (99%) are due to HPAI A(H5N1) viruses and most of them belong to the genotype EA-2024-DI.2.1, a new subclass of the EA-2024-DI.2 genotypethese cases of avian influenza, considered 'highly pathogenic', affect an increasing number of waterfowl such as ducks, geese and swans in large parts of Europe, and a large number of common cranes in a wide belt stretching from north-eastern to south-western Europe.

In view of the high circulation of the virus and the associated high environmental contamination, Efsa defines strict biosecurity measures and early detection of infected poultry flocks as 'urgently needed', to prevent the introduction of the virus from wild to domestic birds and further spread between poultry flocks.
In addition, of course, to the timely removal of wild bird carcasses to reduce the risk of infection for other wild and domestic birds and mammals.

When asked about the situation, Unaitalia confirms that the attention is maximum and that the situation regarding avian influenza outbreaks in Italy is fully under control and in line with the seasonality of the virus. With 15 outbreaks in commercial farms (and 5 in rural ones), the figure is comparable to that recorded during the same period in 2024 (20 outbreaks in commercial ones). "The Italian poultry supply chain is acting with the utmost promptness, adopting strict biosecurity standards, a complex control system of movements and repopulation of farms, and timeliness in extinguishing outbreaks," say the association.