German minister sounds alarm over rapid rise in bird-flu cases

The number of bird-flu cases in Germany has risen exceptionally quickly over the past two weeks, Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer said on Friday.

Rainer, however, called for increased protective measures to stem the spread of the virus.

“There are currently numerous outbreaks, both in wild birds and in poultry farms. This is not unusual for this time of year,” said Rainer.

However, “a very rapid increase in infections over the past 14 days has underscored how serious the situation is as well as the importance of joint and coordinated action,” he said.

Bird flu is an infectious disease that is often fatal when occurring in bird and poultry species, although it is not considered to be dangerous to humans.

German officials have been sounding the alarm this week as conservationists found more than 1,000 cranes near Berlin thought to have died in a large outbreak of bird flu.

Earlier, on Thursday, the Ministry of Agriculture in the state of Baden-Württemberg said around 15,000 animals are to be culled at a poultry farm in southern Germany due to another outbreak of the virus.

Rainer said preventing the virus from spreading further was the top priority, alongside protecting animals and averting damage to Germany’s agricultural and food industries.

He said his ministry had asked the European Union to raise the limit on compensation payments for valuable animals that have to be culled from 50 euros (58 dollars) to up to 110 euro in a bid to support farmers.

Compensation from the bloc’s animal disease fund is usually based on the animal’s market value.