Starting this Monday, poultry, basically chickens and chickens, Fearing the spread of bird flu, 1,200 municipalities across Spain impose curfewsit has already cost nearly 3 million specimens in our country.
The measures taken by the Ministry of Agriculture are precautionary in nature and apply In areas considered to be at particular risknamely the municipalities of Castile and León, Catalonia and Andalusia, among others. For now, the highest incidence of the disease is concentrated here, with half of Europe’s farms under control and an international headache.
Because it involves preventive slaughter and has a huge impact on the market, especially the egg market. The majority of birds affected are egg-laying hens. In fact, Spain has already lost 5% of its census Since summer.
For this reason, a communication from Agriculture Minister Luis Planas will be sent directly to the industry this Monday. We must be “very vigilant that someone does not take advantage of a situation like this to commit a crime,” he said. All speculative activities are prohibited.“As for the price of eggs,” they rose 18% last year.
This is a situation that has gotten out of hand in other countries and is causing a real crisis. The most emblematic case is A dozen cost $14 in the U.S. earlier this year. To be more precise, millions of chickens have been lost to bird flu.
Spain maintains a 120% self-sufficiency rate, which allows it to export around 20%, mainly to the EU, but its main concerns at the moment are purely economic and focus on foreign trade.
Because, as they recently explained, Exports may be temporarily adjusted by the Spanish Federation of Companies in the Egg and Egg Products Production Sector (Federovo). Prioritize in-house supply when there is tension.
But that doesn’t mean there won’t be new price increases. On the contrary, they are already seeing a significant impact on its increase. Federovo’s research estimates it will take six months for supplies to normalize, as farms, mostly family-owned and with high costs for slaughter and animal replacement, are affected.
Castilla y Leon, Leader of Confinement
So agriculture is trying to avoid big problems. The most notable of the measures implemented today, the curfew, applies specifically to municipalities in the hardest-hit region of Castile and León.
In this region, 250 areas are no longer allowed to raise poultry outdoors. This is followed by Catalonia (224) and Andalusia (197). However, the impact is widespread across Spain, with municipalities at high risk in Aragon (128), Canary Islands (1), Cantabria (31), Castilla-La Mancha (18), Madrid (16), Valencia (138), Extremadura (99), Galicia (40), Balearic Islands (14), La Rioja (6) and Navarra (12). Basque Country (6), Principality of Asturias (8), Murcia (11), Ceuta and Melilla.
Other prohibitions will also be enforced at all of these high-risk locations. for example, This refers to housing ducks and geese with other types of poultry, or providing water to poultry from an aquarium that wild birds have access to.
From 1 July to 5 November 2025, 139 outbreaks of avian influenza were reported in Europe. –14 of them from Spain – 708 domestic birds, 708 wild birds, and 33 domestic birds.
In particular, in recent weeks there has been an increase in the number of cases detected in both wild and domestic birds. The situation is deteriorating, resulting in increased risks for Spain” warns agricultural experts.
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