German Minister Warns of Rapid Spread of Bird Flu

German Agriculture Minister Alois Reiner warned on Friday of the accelerating spread of bird flu cases in Germany over the past two weeks, emphasizing the need to intensify preventive measures to curb the spread of the virus.

Reiner said: "There are currently many outbreaks in wild animals and in poultry farms. This is usual at this time of year, but the extremely rapid increase over the past 14 days confirms the seriousness of the situation and the importance of taking a coordinated joint action."


The recent outbreaks have led to the death of a large number of wild birds, as environmental officials reported over a thousand cranes near Berlin in an incident believed to be linked to the flu outbreak.

As a precautionary measure, the Ministry of Agriculture in Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg, announced the culling of about 15,000 birds at a poultry farm in southern Germany after the virus was confirmed by the German Friedrich-Loeffler Institute for Animal Health.

Officials confirmed that these steps are part of intensive efforts to prevent the spread of the virus and protect livestock and public health.