Bird flu

Stricter rules for poultry farming

Vorarlberg has now also been declared a risk area for bird flu, which means some additional measures 

Keepers of chickens, geese and the like are currently worried: bird flu is spreading and the whole of Austria has been classified as a risk area, including Vorarlberg. Luckily for us, no districts in Vorarlberg have been identified as being at high risk, so there is no obligation to keep poultry here. The situation is different in 25 districts in Lower and Upper Austria, Burgenland, Styria, Salzburg and Carinthia, where poultry must remain confined.

Stricter hygiene measures
However, farmers must also take additional measures in this country. For example, poultry may no longer be fed outdoors, and the animals may not drink water from reservoirs to which wild birds may have access. In general, contact between the animals kept and wild birds must be avoided at all costs. To this end, nets or roofs must be installed on farms to prevent unwanted mixing.

It is also not permitted to keep geese, ducks and other types of poultry together; the first two must be kept strictly separate from the others. It is not yet possible to estimate how long the risk classification will remain in place. The hope remains that the risk will be minimized and not increased further.