PARIS (Reuters) -Hungary reported a first outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu on a farm this season, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Friday, as Europe faces a swift seasonal upturn in the deadly disease.
The spread of avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has raised concerns among governments and the poultry industry after it ravaged flocks around the world in recent years, disrupting supply, fuelling higher food prices and raising the risk of human transmission.
Hungary was particularly badly hit by the virus during the 2024/25 season. That flare-up amounted to more than half of the outbreaks recorded on poultry farms in the European Union, with cases mostly detected between end-October and May, official data showed.
The H5N1 virus was detected on Monday in a flock of 19,700 fattening duck in the town of Szolnok, and caused the death of 725 birds, the Paris-based WOAH said, citing a report from the Hungarian authorities. The remaining ducks were subsequently culled as a precaution.
Fattening ducks are mainly used to make foie gras. Hungary is the second largest producer of the luxury food after France.
(Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide, editing by Gus Trompiz, William Maclean)
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