Bird flu in Luxembourg: 'The risk has increased', warns ALVA

The Ministry of Agriculture has confirmed two cases of bird flu in Luxembourg, identified among wild cranes in Howald and Rumelange.

Rising threat prompts precautionary measures

The announcement comes as infections continue to rise across Europe, particularly in Germany. As a precaution, all poultry in Luxembourg must now be kept indoors to limit the spread of the virus.

Bird flu is a highly contagious disease that mainly affects waterfowl such as Egyptian and domestic geese, but it can also spread rapidly to other bird species. Chickens and geese are especially vulnerable because they are often kept in large flocks, increasing the likelihood of transmission.

In response, the Agriculture Ministry has issued a mandatory housing order for all poultry nationwide. According to Caroline Merten, Deputy Director of the Luxembourg Veterinary and Food Administration (ALVA), “the risk for poultry has increased”. Poultry owners are being urged to tighten their biosecurity measures.

"Across Europe, there have been an extremely high number of outbreaks among wild birds, and now also among poultry farms in all our neighbouring countries", Merten said. "That means the risk has grown – also for Luxembourg. We are not considered a high-risk area compared with countries that have large resting sites for migratory birds, so there’s no reason to panic, but the risk has nevertheless increased."

Once infection occurs, the entire flock can quickly become contaminated. If that happens, emergency culling is required to prevent the virus from spreading to other farms.

Farmers and officials urge vigilance

Farmer Richard Fluehe, who runs the organic Clees farm in Steinsel with 800 hens, said an outbreak would be devastating, forcing him to suspend operations for months.

"For us, production would come to a complete stop until the barns are cleaned and fully disinfected. Then we’d have to restock – but those would be young hens that don’t yet lay eggs, or day-old chicks in the case of broilers – so there would be no production for several months", he explained.

Health authorities emphasise that the virus is generally not dangerous to humans, including through the consumption of eggs or poultry meat. However, ALVA warns that transmission to humans cannot be entirely ruled out and advises people to avoid contact with wild birds.

Anyone who finds a dead bird should not handle it and should instead contact ALVA, which will take care of its removal.