WARSAW — According to official epidemiological data released by Poland’s Chief Veterinary Inspectorate (GIW) and tracked by the European Commission’s Animal Disease Information System (ADIS), Poland remains Europe’s worst-affected nation in the ongoing 2025–2026 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) cycle.
While spring typically brings a standard seasonal lull across Western Europe, Poland is battling an intense, sustained wave of the H5N1 virus serotype driven by severe environmental virus shedding from migratory wild bird corridors.
Outbreak Reports (Year-to-Date 2026)
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Commercial Holdings Hit: 140 commercial poultry farms have been formally confirmed positive for the H5N1 variant so far this year
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Biomass Impacted: Close to 9.65 million commercial birds have been lost through immediate virus-induced mortality or mandatory preventative culling
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The May Surge Acceleration: The virus has intensified this month, with 26 new commercial farm detections confirmed in May alone
Geographic Expansion & Multi-Species Vulnerability
The May acceleration has pierced biosecurity walls across a broad geographic belt stretching from east to west, cutting directly through six major provinces (with heavy clustering observed across the Greater Poland, Lublin, Masovia, and Warmia-Masuria voivodeships)
The epidemiological profile shows that the virus is not discriminating by poultry type, affecting a highly diverse industrial matrix:
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The Scale Inequity: Outbreak dynamics have devastated operations regardless of capacity. Individual affected flock sizes range from small 1,900-bird specialty installations to mega-complexes housing over 663,000 birds.
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Captive & Non-Commercial Risk: Beyond the 140 commercial facilities, the GIW has also logged 16 distinct outbreaks in captive/backyard flocks, directly threatening rural multi-livelihood setups.
Trade Restrictions & Emergency Border Controls
The sheer volume of Polish commercial poultry depopulation—vastly outstripping regional peers like Germany (39 poultry outbreaks) and France (19 poultry outbreaks)—has triggered extreme logistical interventions.
Biosecurity Checkpoints Activated] ──► Germany, Czechia, & Lithuania Borders
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– Mandatory Truck Disinfection Certificates
– 24-Hour Advance Cargo Holds Screening Notices
– 48-Hour Quarantine for “Red Zone” Agricultural Staff
To prevent the cross-border migration of the virus into adjacent Western European poultry belts, Poland’s Ministry of Agriculture, alongside neighboring EU states, has enacted emergency sanitary controls:
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Friction at the Gate: All cargo trucks carrying live poultry, processed feed, or agricultural by-products entering or exiting Poland via Germany, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania must present valid disinfection certificates
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Worker Quarantines: Due to heavy reliance on seasonal cross-border agricultural workforces, several voivodeships have implemented strict 48-hour quarantine and shoe-washing protocols at facility gates, adding severe pressure to hatchery operations as the peak production cycle progresses
