Poland hit by worst bird flu outbreak in 2 years
Nearly 1.5 million laying hens were culled at a farm in the Wielkopolska region hit with a bird flu outbreak, the Poland’s chief veterinary inspectorate reported on 20 January. This is the 19th bird flu outbreak in Poland this year, and the 9th in Wielkopolska.
While the outbreak is the worst in 2 years, bird flu is spreading particularly rapidly in Lublin and Wielkopolska regions. Even before it began, Poland’s poultry industry faced a dire veterinary situation. On 13 January, the veterinary service reported that around 1.3 million poultry were housed at affected facilities since the start of the year. Most were culled, causing substantial losses for farmers.
Due to the “seriousness of the situation” in the Wielkopolska, the chief veterinary inspectorate has dispatched a special investigative team to the region, with the task to analyse the connection between the affected farms and support local veterinary services in their fight against bird flu.
Poland reported rising bird flu losses in early 2026. According to the veterinary inspectorate, in 2025, the country registered 127 bird outbreaks, which resulted in a loss of 10 million heads of poultry.
Veterinary discipline is paramount
In a follow-up statement, the Agricultural Ministry called farmers to maintain veterinary discipline to avoid further losses. “We appeal to breeders to strictly adhere to protective measures, use insecticides, and immediately report any suspicious symptoms in animals to the Veterinary Inspectorate. We also appeal to purchase animals from a reliable source and avoid so-called ‘bargain offers’ appearing on the market,” the Ministry said.
The desire to save money by purchasing animals from unreliable sources may drive the entire farm to collapse and incur losses worth millions of zlotys, the Ministry warned.
Foreign poultry trade concerns
Poland, Europe’s largest poultry exporter, is particularly concerned that the new avian influenza outbreaks can deal a heavy blow to its foreign trade.
Since the beginning of the year, restrictions on poultry imports from the country were imposed by North Macedonia, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina. So far, key markets refrain from imposing harsh restrictions on Poland’s poultry exports.
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