48 Million Chickens Culled as Bird Flu Impacts Europe

Oct. 4, 2022

The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) epidemic has impacted a total of 37 European countries in the last year.

Officials in Europe and the UK are raising alarm bells as nearly 48 million birds have been culled in the last year due to an 'unprecedented' number of cases of avian flu.

Last month, Reuters reported a new wave of infections in France elevated fears that the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), more commonly known as avian or bird flu, was becoming endemic to French wildlife.

The virus, which has impacted 37 countries in Europe and the UK, is the largest geographical reach on record according to EU's Food Safety Agency (EFSA). The agency reported the HPAI A(H5N1) virus crossed the Atlantic Ocean in Autumn 2021, spreading the virus from Europe to North America. The impact is being felt in the United States as the bird flu has affected 43.8 million birds.

The Guardian is reporting that veterinary trials to test bird flu vaccines have started in France and the Netherlands; however, the efficacy of said vaccinations is still in question.

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Erin A. Hallstrom

Erin Hallstrom oversaw our digital content strategy for the Food Processing brand from 2008-2023. She is now the Associate Director of SEO Strategy for Endeavor Business Media, where she holds technical certifications in both website analytics and search engine optimization. Most recently, she was named the 2022 Marianne Dekker Mattera Award Winner.