BERLIN, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Germany's poultry industry warned on Monday that the country's worsening bird flu outbreak could drive up egg prices and disrupt supplies, as authorities continue large-scale culling to contain the virus infection.
"It will be dramatic for us," said Robert Schmauk, head of the Bavarian poultry industry association, on public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk. "An increase of up to 50 percent in egg prices is not out of the question."
He added that while empty supermarket shelves were unlikely, certain poultry products might become harder to find due to strong demand and tighter supply.
The Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI), Germany's federal animal health agency, reported on Sunday that about 400,000 poultry, including chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys, have been culled nationwide. More than 30 commercial farms have been affected.
"It is impossible to predict how the situation will develop, but the FLI is expecting a further increase in outbreaks and cases," institute head Christa Kuehn said.
The worst-hit regions are the eastern states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg. In two locations in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania alone, nearly 150,000 laying hens have been culled. On Sunday, local authorities in eastern Brandenburg announced that an additional 130,000 animals would be slaughtered to contain the outbreak.
The FLI has raised the risk level for poultry farms from "low" to "high," citing a surge in infections during the autumn bird migration season. The current wave of infections began earlier than usual. With the peak of migration still ahead, authorities warn that the risk of avian influenza spreading to poultry flocks remains high.
Among wild birds, cranes have been particularly affected, with the FLI reporting what it described as "an unprecedented level of infections in Germany." In the Linumer Teichland wetlands in northwestern Brandenburg, volunteers had collected about 1,500 dead cranes by Saturday.
Some media outlets have referred to cranes as "super spreaders." However, Kuehn explained that while cranes are highly susceptible and shed large amounts of the virus, they are not the sole transmitters.
"Outdoor-raised poultry such as ducks and geese are particularly at risk, as wild birds can easily enter their enclosures," she said. Contaminated footwear, vehicles, or equipment can also spread the virus.
Germany's public health authority, the Robert Koch Institute, said bird flu rarely infects humans, and only in isolated cases involving close contact with infected birds, such as farm workers. Officials advised the public to avoid direct contact with sick or dead wild birds.
German media recalled that the 2020-2021 winter season saw the country's most severe bird flu outbreak on record, when more than two million animals were culled.
