Following a positive vote by Member States, the EU Commission will provide €46.7 million in compensation to Italian farmers in areas affected by outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (bird flu).
The compensation will be financed by the agricultural reserve, with payments made to farmers before September 30, 2024.
Only farms located in regulated zones and affected by control measures caused by a series of outbreaks in 2022 will be entitled to compensation, which is expected to cover 50% of the expenditure borne by Italy.
To avoid double funding with public money, losses suffered should not have been compensated by state aid or insurance.
After the formal approval of the support measure by the EU Commission, the implementing regulation will be published in the EU Official Journal, and is expected to enter into force at the beginning of February.
Bird flu
According to the Commission, between January 1, 2022 and April 30, 2022, 23 outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza of subtype H5 (bird flu) were confirmed and notified by Italy.
The species affected were chickens, laying hens, turkeys, ducks and Guinea fowls.
To prevent further spread of disease, EU regulation requires that movement restrictions are immediately established.
On the establishments located in the restricted zone, which consists in a protection zone and a surveillance zone with a radius of at least three and 10kms respectively around the affected establishment.
If necessary, stamping out measures can also be extended to poultry farms in the vicinity or to farms that have had dangerous contacts with the infected farm.
Italy immediately took all the necessary animal health and veterinary measures, including control, monitoring and preventive measures. Protection and surveillance zones were established.
This led to a loss of production of hatching eggs, table eggs and live animals in the farms located in those areas under movement restrictions, as well as losses due to destroyed and downgraded eggs and meat.