Fuerteventura Chickens to Be Confined from Monday as a Precaution

It is not a cause for panic, and eggs can still be consumed safely. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food will, from Monday, implement additional reinforcement measures across Spain—including confinement—to prevent the spread of the avian influenza virus after a rise in risk due to increasing cases elsewhere in Europe.

In the Canary Islands, a recommendation was issued a few months ago for poultry farmers to gather their chickens, so complying with the new order should not be a major disruption.

“The chickens will have to remain inside the sheds, as was done years ago,” said the senior official in a statement to Diario de Avisos.

Two months ago, Andrés Díaz Matoso, the regional Director General of Livestock, called on poultry farmers to place their chickens inside the buildings.

The municipality of Pájara had been under surveillance until this Thursday because the Saladar de Jandía serves as a stopover for migratory birds for nesting and rest.

Consequently, from Monday, 10 November, outdoor rearing of poultry is prohibited throughout Spain to curb the advance of avian flu, which has become a growing concern for farms and animal‑health authorities in recent weeks.

The preventive measure, announced by the Ministry of Agriculture, will be triggered once the threshold of three million birds slaughtered nationwide—predominantly laying hens—is surpassed, setting a new record.

In addition to banning outdoor poultry farming, the decree also forbids the rearing of ducks and geese together with other poultry species and the provision of water from open reservoirs that wild birds could access.