11 December 2025
A new quarterly report released by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), and the EU reference laboratory (EURL) paints a grim picture of the avian influenza landscape in Europe. Data covering the period between 6 September and 28 November 2025 indicates a significant resurgence of the virus. A total of 442 outbreaks were reported in domestic birds, alongside 2,454 detections in wild birds across 29 European countries.
The report is unambiguous regarding the immediate future, with the EFSA explicitly stating that "new outbreaks [are] expected in Europe until winter ends." In response to these rising numbers, European authorities have reiterated their standard guidance: "Strict biosecurity and enhanced surveillance are essential to detect new outbreaks early and reduce risks to animal health." However, this repetitive guidance has drawn criticism from professionals within the sector. The reliance on biosecurity and surveillance is a strategy that has been championed for years, yet the epidemiological data suggests that the results are progressively worsening rather than improving.
The current situation raises a critical question for the scientific and veterinary communities: If the only tools available to professional systems are the mass culling of flocks and the demand for heightened biosecurity, measures that have historically proven insufficient against this increasingly aggressive virus, we should not be surprised if the HPAI virus continues to gain the upper hand.
As the virus becomes endemic in wild populations and outbreaks in domestic flocks intensify, the call for a shift in strategy beyond "stamping out" and physical barriers has never been more urgent.
