Published in Industry Insights
The EU Closed Six More Bird Flu Zones to Poultry. Check Your Origin, Not Your Prices
The EU suspended poultry imports from six zones in Canada, the UK and the US on 8 October, and our view is that this is a paperwork and sourcing problem for buyers tied to those places, not a supply shock.
Martina Osmak
Director of Marketing
MeatBorsa's take
This section is our reading of the news, not reported fact. The confirmed figures follow below.
We think the headline sounds bigger than the event. The EU rule works zone by zone, around a single outbreak, so poultry from the rest of Canada, the UK and the US can keep arriving. For most European buyers, this changes nothing about the price of chicken or turkey this week.
It matters a lot for a narrower group: anyone who buys from an establishment inside one of the named zones, or who sells into a chain that does. For them, the practical job is to check where each consignment was produced, and when, before it ships. We would do that check now, not at the border.
The bigger signal is the pace. Two regulations in about a week added 17 new zones across three countries, and the northern autumn has only just started. We expect more zones to appear before the winter, and we would plan origin checks as a routine task, not a one-off.
What we assume, and why we could be wrong
- Suppliers can swap origin. We assume exporters in affected countries can ship from establishments outside the zones, so volumes shift rather than disappear. If one supplier's plants all sit inside a zone, that buyer has a real gap.
- Outbreaks stay scattered. We assume new cases keep appearing as separate points, each with its own radius. If cases cluster in one region, several zones could join into a large blocked area, and the supply effect would be much bigger than we describe.
- Trade volume from these zones is small. We have no volume figures for exports from these zones to the EU, so this is an assumption, not a measured fact. A buyer with heavy exposure to one county or province should not rely on it.
- Cleaning ends the restriction. The 2 October regulation re-authorised zones tied to earlier outbreaks, so we assume a zone is a temporary label for buyers, not a long-term exclusion. A slow clean-up, or a repeat outbreak in the same place, would stretch it out.
What happened
On 7 October 2026 the European Commission adopted Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2268. According to the Lovguiden summary of the EU Official Journal, the suspension applies from 8 October and covers live poultry, poultry germinal products, and fresh meat of poultry and game birds.
The reason is highly pathogenic avian influenza (strains H5N1, H5N5 and H5) confirmed in poultry between 23 September and 2 October. The regulation amends the lists of authorised zones in Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404.
Key facts from the regulation summary:
- Canada: two zones in Manitoba and one in Alberta, with outbreaks confirmed on 23 and 25 September.
- United Kingdom: a 10 km radius around Ness on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, with the outbreak restricted on 2 October.
- United States: a 10 km radius in Stearns County, Minnesota (28 September) and in Jay County, Indiana (30 September).
The Scottish Government confirmed the Ness case on 2 October as H5N5. It set a 3 km protection zone and a 10 km surveillance zone around the premises. The EU zone is drawn at 10 km.
This was the second regulation in about a week. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2227, dated 1 October, added four zones in Manitoba and seven in the US, in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Montana. The same regulation re-authorised zones linked to 66 earlier outbreaks in Indiana, North Dakota and Utah, after stamping out and cleaning and disinfection.
What we are watching next
We are watching three things. First, how many new zones the next regulation lists, because the pace tells us whether autumn spread is gathering speed. Second, whether any zone falls on a major commercial production area, since that is when this turns from paperwork into supply. Third, how quickly zones tied to the September outbreaks are cleaned out and move off the list.
If you buy poultry or turkey from Canada, the UK or the US, ask your supplier for the exact production site and date of every consignment. It takes minutes now and can save a held shipment later.
Sources
EU suspends poultry imports from zones in Canada, the UK and the US - Lovguiden
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2268 - EUR-Lex
EU suspends poultry imports from new avian influenza zones in Canada and the US - Lovguiden
Avian flu (bird flu): Ness, Isle of Lewis (AIV 2026/20) - Scottish Government