Overview
- About 1.2 million laying hens have been culled in Brandenburg since late February, including two large farms with 510,000 and 375,000 birds.
- Additional Newcastle cases are reported in Bavaria, with further outbreaks confirmed by the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
- Producers say they cannot currently meet demand, with roughly one in ten cartons missing nationwide and some estimates pointing to a 15% shortfall.
- Retailers and industry groups describe supply as tight but stable, with Rewe and Edeka saying they expect to cover Easter demand.
- Investigators have not determined how the virus is reaching closed flocks; the FLI says eggs can be contaminated, while human infection is considered rare.