November 10, 2025

Spain orders indoor confinement of poultry birds as avian influenza cases rise

Spain will confine poultry indoors in several regions starting on November 10 in response to escalating cases of avian influenza across Europe, the Agriculture Ministry said.

"Over the past weeks, we have observed an increase in the number of cases detected, both in wild and domestic birds, indicating a worsening situation," it said in a November 5 statement.

Adis, a Europe-wide system that tracks infectious animal diseases, has recorded 139 outbreaks in European poultry farms between July 1 and November 5, including 14 in Spain.

A ministry map identified the highest-risk areas in the south-west, central and northern regions.

Free-range poultry farming will be banned in these zones from November 10, save for exceptional cases.

No end date has been set.

The United Kingdom and France have also imposed similar restrictions amid rising avian flu cases.

- AFP