European HPAI sweep — week to 1 October 2026

Published on : 2 Oct 2026

Defra raised the risk of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 in wild birds in Great Britain from low to medium on 1 October, the first upward move of the 2026/27 season. The change was made to the England situation guidance that day and is worded "medium (event occurs regularly)". Poultry risk did not move with it and stands at low with medium uncertainty where biosecurity is sub-optimal or poor, and very low with low uncertainty where stringent biosecurity is consistently applied — the latter having been cut from low on 20 August. No Avian Influenza Prevention Zone is in force in England, Scotland or Wales, the GB zone having been lifted on 4 June, and the UK's self-declared freedom from HPAI of 18 May 2026 is unaffected.

Belgium opened the 2026/27 season on 30 September. Highly pathogenic H5N1 was confirmed that day on a hobby holding at Tongeren-Borgloon in Limburg, keeping mainly exotic birds, with a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone running to at least 30 October. The zones reach into Bilzen-Hoeselt, covering Hoeselt, Rijkhoven, Spouwen, Martenslinde, Beverst and Bilzen centre, and within them poultry and captive birds must be housed, movements are stopped and gatherings and markets are banned. Bird numbers and a cull figure have not been published. Because the holding is non-commercial Belgium retains its disease-free status, and the FAVV has left national measures unchanged — recommendations only, no reinstated afschermplicht, which has been off since 16 April 2026. The H5N1 subtype comes from the Belgian poultry sector body Pluimvee.be quoting the confirmation directly; the Tongeren-Borgloon municipal notice itself says only "hoogpathogene aviaire influenza" with no subtype.

Cyprus imposed a national housing requirement on 29 September, which is the free-range flag of the week. Veterinary Services told all domestic bird keepers to house birds in enclosed covered areas, prohibited outdoor keeping outright, banned outdoor feed and water and barred the use of surface water, after H5N1 was found in a wild goose at Athalassa National Forest Park outside Nicosia. The bird was found on Monday 28 September and the finding announced on 29 September; a second bird died and was confirmed on 30 September, described inconsistently across reports as a goose or a duck. Treat this carefully: the Veterinary Services said tests were continuing with the EU reference laboratory to determine the pathogenicity of the virus, so this is H5N1 but not yet confirmed as high-pathogenicity. Five human contacts — the member of the public who found the first bird and four forestry officers — are under 14-day observation, all PCR-negative, with a second round of tests due. No poultry holding is involved and no culling protocol has been triggered.

Germany's only in-window case is a zoo. Cologne Zoo announced on 28 September that avian influenza had been found in newly acquired waterfowl in its non-public quarantine station, closing the walk-through enclosure, the Hippodom and the owl cloister and suspending flight demonstrations. No subtype, no pathotype, no bird numbers and no cull figure have been given, and no statutory zones have been published — the sources say "Vogelgrippe-Virus" and nothing more, so do not write H5N1 against this one. Elsewhere in the big producing states the week was blank: nothing new in France, the Netherlands, Poland, Italy or Spain, and nothing in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, the Baltics, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, the Western Balkans, Ukraine or Turkey.

On policy, three advisory moves and no hard measures beyond Cyprus. Portugal's DGAV launched an autumn biosecurity campaign on 25 September naming high-risk freguesias across Alandroal, Beja, Campo Maior, Évora, Moura, Odemira and Sines, where outdoor poultry must be netted or sheltered and feed and water kept under cover — but this is a reinforcement of standing rules, not a reinstated confinement order, that obligation having been lifted in April 2026. Romania's ANSVSA joined the EFSA/Commission #NoBirdFlu campaign on 25 September, aimed at backyard flocks, with no risk-level change. Ukraine's Chernivtsi and Rivne oblast directorates issued commercial-farm biosecurity guidance on 30 September. Hungary's Nébih published a European situation note on 25 September recording five poultry holdings, no captive premises and 25 wild birds across Europe in the preceding 30 days — 42,060 poultry, Bulgaria two holdings and 22,000 birds, France three holdings and 20,060 — and states no subtype for any of it.