Bird flu alarm: Farmers demand compulsory stables in Baden-Württemberg!

Bird flu alarm: Farmers demand compulsory stables in Baden-Württemberg!

It's a foggy, wet, cold day in Baden-Württemberg, but the news is anything but gloomy. The region faces several challenges. On the one hand, the poultry industry has to deal with the spread of bird flu, and on the other hand, a suspected knife attack in Stuttgart is causing a stir.

How tagesschau.de reports, poultry farmers from all over Germany, including many from Baden-Württemberg, have called for nationwide compulsory stables in order to contain the dangerous animal disease. However, a spokesman for the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Agriculture stated clearly: “An obligation to keep stables is not to be expected here.” This means poultry farmers will still be allowed to keep their animals outdoors, alarming some in the industry.

Bird flu is spreading rapidly

Bird flu has recently increased rapidly, especially in Baden-Württemberg. A confirmed case in a poultry farm in Öllingen, where around 15,000 animals had to be killed, shows the industry's predicament. Georg Heitlinger from the State Association of the Poultry Industry is urgently calling for a nationwide housing requirement in order to better protect poultry from the virus, which is transmitted by wild birds. Elaborate protection zones with strict controls were set up near the affected farm.

The Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) has upgraded the risk of further outbreaks to “high” and estimates that a total of over 200,000 animals in Germany were killed due to outbreaks this autumn. The animal disease is particularly exacerbated by bird migration in autumn and thousands of cranes have already lost their lives zdf.de reported. The situation is getting worse because over 1,000 dead cranes were recovered in northern Brandenburg and tens of thousands of animals also had to be killed in several farms in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Stuttgart in excitement

But it's not just agriculture that has to contend with challenges. In Stuttgart, more precisely in the Wangen district, a suspected knife attack caused a stir. As the tagesschau.de Reportedly, one person was seriously injured, while numerous emergency services and even police helicopters are on duty to search for a fugitive. Details are sparse so far, but the police are active and trying to quickly clarify what exactly happened.

In the combined backdrop of bird flu and urban violence, one asks oneself: Where is the longing for a carefree autumn season? What is certain is that both poultry farmers and those responsible in Stuttgart are required to adapt their strategies. While some are urgently looking for solutions to the animal disease, others are hoping for the fastest possible clarification and safety in the city.