Voluntary Report - Public distribution

**Date:** 8/27/2007

**GAIN Report Number:** GM7040

GM7040

**Germany**

**Sanitary/Phytosanitary/Food Safety**

**AI: Outbreak in Commercial Duck Farm**

**2007**

**Approved by:**

![](media/image1.wmf)Bobby Richey Jr., Agricultural Counselor

U.S. Embassy

**Prepared by:**

Sabine M. Lieberz, Agricultural Specialist

**Report Highlights:**

High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was confirmed in a
commercial duck farm in the Erlangen/Nuremberg region, Bavaria, on
August 25, 2007. All 169,857 ducks on the farm were destroyed. It
remains unclear how the virus got into the flock. One possible source
could be contaminated straw. Germany does not export any duck products
to the U.S.

Includes PSD Changes: No

Includes Trade Matrix: No

Unscheduled Report

Berlin \[GM1\]

\[GM\]

**H5N1 Cases Confirmed on Commercial Duck Farm**

On August 25, 2007, the German reference laboratory
*Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut* (FLI) confirmed high pathogen avian
influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in a commercial duck farm in Wachenroth, Bavaria.
Wachenroth is situated in the county of Erlangen Hoechstadt
approximately 12 miles (20 km) north west of the city of Erlangen and 18
miles (30 km) north west of the city of Nuremberg.

The farm including its own slaughter facility is part of a family owned
company that has raised ducks since 1934. Last week one flock of 44,000
animals showed an increased death rate. As a consequence, a routine test
for H5N1 was applied. When this test turned out positive for H5N1,
samples were sent to the local veterinary office and the FLI. On August
25, FLI confirmed the high pathogenic strain of H5N1. Protection and
surveillance zones around the farm were established immediately[^1] and
the destruction of all remaining ducks in the farm was ordered. The
destruction was completed in the evening of August 26, 2007.

It remains unclear how the virus got into the flock. The farm from which
the ducklings had originated as well as other farms that had received
ducklings from the same breeder were examined and all tested negative
for H5N1. One hypothesis is that the virus might have been transmitted
through straw that was contaminated in the field by infected droppings
from wild contaminated birds.

This farm is the only big commercial farm in the area. All other poultry
holdings within the protection and surveillance zones consist of
backyard farms or hobby holdings. All poultry holdings in the protection
zone are being tested, so far all tests came out negative for H5N1.

The previous HPAI outbreak in Germany occurred on July 6, 2007 on a
backyard farm with only 10 animals (five ducks and five geese, of which
one goose was infected) in Thuringia, the last outbreak on a commercial
farm occurred on April 4, 2006. For details see GAIN reports GM7030 and
GM6015, respectively.

# Key Facts on the Poultry Sector in Germany 

In 2006, Germany produced 1.03 million MT of poultry meat and 804,000 MT
or 13 billion pieces of eggs[^2]. The production value at the producer
level amounted to US\$ 1.66 billion (1.1 billion Euro) for poultry plus
US\$ 680 million (544 million Euro) for eggs. In total, poultry and egg
production holds a 4.4 percent share of the total German agricultural
production.

According to the most recent animal census carried out in May 2005,
Germany reports a total of 120.6 million live poultry animals. Broken
down this represents 107 million chickens, thereof 50 million laying
hens and chicks and 57 million broilers, plus 11 million turkeys, 2.4
million ducks, and 329,500 geese. Bavaria, where the incident happened
accounted for eight percent of the German poultry population and ranked
third within the 16 German states after Lower-Saxony and North
Rhine-Westphalia who accounted for 44 and nine percent of the poultry
population, respectively.

# Table: Poultry numbers in Bavaria, Saxony, and Germany in May 2005\*

  ------------------- -------------------------- ------------------------
                      Germany                    Bavaria

  Chicken             107 million                9 million

  Turkeys             11 million                 659,900

  Ducks               2.4 million                91,700

  Geese               329,500                    9,300

  Total Poultry       120.6 million              9.8 million
  ------------------- -------------------------- ------------------------

\* Latest available data

Source: German Federal Office of Statistics, Wiesbaden

**Related reports:**

  -------- --------- -------------------------------------------- ------------
  Report             Title                                        Date
                                                                  released

  GM7030   Germany   AI update: Total Number Rises to 240 Wild    07/13/2007
                     Birds, One Goose on Backyard Farm            

  GM7025   Germany   AI Re-Appears in Wild Birds                  06/25/2007

  GM6015   Germany   AI confirmed in a Commercial Poultry Farm -  04/07/2006
                     Consumer Reaction Limited                    

  GM6011   Germany   AI Update: AI confirmed in cats and          03/10/2006
                     suspected in a beech marten                  

  GM6008   Germany   AI update: 127 cases in wild birds none in   03/02/2006
                     domestic poultry                             

  GM6007   Germany   AI among wild birds reaches German mainland  02/21/2006

  GM6005   Germany   AI Confirmed in Two Dead Swans in Northern   02/16/2006
                     Germany                                      

  GM5042   Germany   Avian Influenza Update: Free Range Chicken   12/19/2005
                     Allowed Outside Again                        

  GM5035   Germany   AI-Threat: German Poultry Must Stay Inside - 09/12/2005
                     But Only in Certain Regions                  
  -------- --------- -------------------------------------------- ------------

[^1]: As a result of a reported suspected HPAI case, routinely, a 3 km
    protection zone is established for 21 days and a 10 km surveillance
    zone for 30 days. In the protection zone

    \- transport of birds, poultry and poultry meat is prohibited,

    \- birds and poultry have to be kept indoors,

    \- commercial poultry farms may only be entered by farm personnel
    and vets,

    \- mats with disinfectants have to be placed at the entrances and
    exits of poultry holdings, and

    \- cats and dogs are prohibited from roaming freely.

[^2]: This includes edible eggs and hatching eggs.