Pájara lifts poultry confinement except in risk zones

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has issued an order, published today in the Boletín Oficial del Estado, lifting the confinement of all poultry following an improvement in the high‑risk avian influenza situation.

Areas Where Confinement Remains

Confinement continues in zones classified as special risk and special surveillance, covering 1,201 municipalities across all autonomous communities:

• Andalusia (197)
• Aragón (128)
• Canarias (1)
• Cantabria (31)
• Castilla y León (250)
• Castilla‑La Mancha (18)
• Cataluña (224)
• Comunidad de Madrid (16)
• Comunidad Valenciana (138)
• Extremadura (99)
• Galicia (40)
• Islas Baleares (14)
• La Rioja (6)
• Navarra (12)
• País Vasco (6)
• Principado de Asturias (8)
• Región de Murcia (11)

The special‑risk and special‑surveillance zones are defined in Annexes II and III of Order APA/2442/2006 (27 July).

Background

On 13 November 2025, the Ministry decreed the confinement of all free‑range poultry in Spain as a preventive reinforcement against the rising risk of avian influenza, a highly contagious disease. The measure aimed to prevent contact between farm birds and migratory birds that could carry the virus. A week earlier, confinement had already been imposed in the aforementioned special‑risk and surveillance zones.

Since then, a weekly epidemiological monitoring program has been in place. Based on the disease’s evolution in Spain, the origin areas of migratory bird movements, and temperature forecasts, the Ministry now deems it appropriate to lift the general confinement nationwide.

Epidemiological Situation

• From 1 July 2025 to the present, 16 outbreaks of avian influenza have been recorded in production farms, the most recent on 13 January in the province of Lleida.
• On 10 February, Spain was declared free of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), although preventive measures—including poultry confinement—remained due to the high‑risk context created by migratory bird movements from affected European regions.
• The disease has primarily affected wild birds, with 165 outbreaks reported since July, plus six in captive birds.

Ongoing Recommendations

“Even though confinement is lifted, it is essential to maintain and strengthen biosecurity measures on poultry farms to avoid contact with wild birds, and to reinforce passive surveillance both in wild populations and in farmed birds,” the Ministry emphasized.

• Any suspicion of disease must be reported immediately to official veterinary services, especially for domestic birds.
• While the avian influenza virus cannot be transmitted to humans through cooked poultry meat, eggs, or processed products, the Ministry advises minimizing unnecessary contact with birds showing clinical signs or found dead in the field.