Bird flu threatens St. Martin's goose: restaurants switch to imported goods!

Bird flu threatens St. Martin's goose: restaurants switch to imported goods!

The bird flu is currently spreading in Germany and especially in Brandenburg and is causing a lot of excitement just in time for the high season for St. Martin's and Christmas geese. November 11th traditionally marks the beginning of the time when many people don't want to go without the goose on the table. But what are the catering industry and private buyers doing in view of the current situation?

Regional geese are hardly available spontaneously anymore. The Ruden farm has already slaughtered its outdoor geese early to minimize the risk of infection. An attempt to keep the animals in stables failed because the geese stopped eating and drinking. Currently, the slaughtered birds are already with the end customers, which means that there is no longer an offer for store sales. This also affects the restaurants in the area.

Gastronomy is reacting to the situation

The Felix am Hinzenberg restaurant cannot offer regional geese and instead sources geese from Poland or Hungary. Christian Klatt, the restaurant manager, emphasizes transparency with his guests and plans to pass lower costs on to customers. At Jakobs-Hof Beelitz the situation is somewhat different: Polish geese that were slaughtered a few months ago are also offered here. The owner of the restaurant Golmé expresses no concerns about the geese from Poland and is also planning a St. Martin's goose meal.

The current situation is tense: The outbreak of bird flu has increased the risk of further infections to “high”, as the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) confirms. In Baden-Württemberg, 15,000 animals have already been killed in a poultry farm. Thousands of cranes have also lost their lives. Bird flu, also known as avian influenza, is caused by the HPAIV virus (H5N1), which is often fatal for affected animals. The virus is widespread in Germany all year round, but intensifies with the autumn bird migration.

Protective measures and recommendations

Federal Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer is calling for increased protective measures. The aim is to prevent the spread of the virus and at the same time prevent damage to agriculture. In this context, the Federal Ministry has requested the EU to increase the upper limit for compensation payments. Currently, poultry farmers should strictly adhere to hygiene rules and avoid contact with wild birds in order to minimize the risk.

Private individuals are advised to avoid contact with sick or dead birds and to report any findings to the responsible authorities. There are currently no confirmed cases of H5N1 in humans in Germany, but one should be careful as there is a risk of transmission at high infection doses. Transmission of the virus through poultry products is generally possible, but has not yet been proven.

Overall, it is clear that bird flu not only represents a challenge for poultry farming businesses, but also has a significant impact on the catering industry and private buyers. At a time when many rely on the traditional St. Martin's or Christmas goose, it remains to be seen how the situation will develop further.

For more information, see the article by maz-online.de, the latest reports from zdfheute.de and the latest information tagesschau.de.