Around 6,500 animals have to be killed at a goose farm in the district of Leipzig due to avian influenza. The Saxon State Investigation Institute has confirmed the suspected case of bird flu, the district office in Borna announced. The breeding geese will be culled to prevent further spread.
Affected is a facility belonging to Saxony's largest goose breeder Lorenz Eskildsen. He criticizes that the way bird flu has been dealt with so far is not sufficient and is vehemently in favour of vaccinating animals.
According to the district office, two other farms at the site in the Grimma district of Mutzschen are currently being monitored. They are managed separately from the affected breeding facility, which is why they are considered independent in terms of disease hygiene.
In total, he keeps 11,000 breeding geese at the site, said Eskildsen. He also runs a second large goose farm in Königswartha in Lusatia.
Christmas goose sales continue
The goose market belonging to the farm can remain open, the district office announced. The Christmas geese that are sold there come from other locations. Only farmed geese are affected by the suspected bird flu.
The Saxon State Investigation Institute has confirmed the suspected case. An outbreak can only be officially confirmed by the Friedrich Loeffler Institute. This result is still pending.
According to the district, there have been 171 bird flu outbreaks in poultry farms across Germany since the beginning of October. More than two million animals have already been killed as a result.
Eskildsen calls for vaccination as a means of combating bird flu
Eskildsen believes this is no longer acceptable. "We can no longer treat animals like this. It's simply not possible," he said. Vaccination reduces the viral load and therefore the risk of transmission by 90 percent.
The federal and state governments must pave the way for vaccination. "I insist on it and want to vaccinate", said the goose farmer. Although it would involve a great deal of effort, breeding geese in particular, which live for several years, are suitable for this measure.
Eskildsen recalled that he had the first major bird flu outbreak in his company 20 years ago. "We have suffered for 20 years and we want something to be done now."
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