General ruling on bird flu cancelled
Last year, dead animals were found that tested positive for the bird flu virus by the Friedrich Loeffler Institute. As a result, the district's food monitoring, animal welfare and veterinary services issued a general ruling requiring all poultry farmers to keep their animals indoors to protect them from the highly infectious flu. This general ruling has now been cancelled with immediate effect due to the current infection situation.
"The bird migration is over and no dead bird has tested positive for bird flu in the past four weeks. It can therefore be assumed that the risk of the virus being transmitted to poultry kept in the Waldeck-Frankenberg district is very low. Following a reassessment of the risk situation and a new risk assessment, the general ruling of 4 December 2025 will therefore be lifted," explains Karl-Friedrich Frese, First District Councillor. With the cancellation of the order, all poultry keepers are exempt from the obligation to keep poultry in stables and from the increased biodiversity measures. Participation in fairs, markets and similar events where poultry is traded or exhibited is also possible again with immediate effect.
In this context, the district once again draws attention to the fact that all poultry farms in Waldeck-Frankenberg - including smaller and non-commercial ones - must be registered with the district, regardless of how many animals they have. They must also be registered with the Hessian Animal Disease Fund. Further information can be found online at www.landkreis-waldeck-frankenberg.de/vogelgrippe.