The Balearic Government has warned on Wednesday that, if an outbreak of avian influenza is detected in the Islands, the measures to be applied would be “very traumatic and complex”. The general director of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, Fernando Fernandez, has appealed to the “responsibility” of the owners of domestic hens and the whole sector to prevent the entry of the virus.
After a technical conference dedicated to the poultry sector held in Palma, Fernandez said that “the situation in the Balearic Islands is increasing at risk level” and defended that the preventive measures in force “are common sense and do not harm in a very serious way”. The senior official warned, however, that “probably” the restrictions will be extended to all the municipalities depending on the epidemiological evolution and the information from the Ministry.
Affected areas and what applies in Ibiza
Since Monday, measures have been activated in areas of special risk – Santa Margalida, Muro, sa Pobla, Pollença and Alcúdia – and in areas of specific surveillance, including Ibiza, Sant Josep and Santa Eulària, as well as Felanitx, Campos, Formentera, Maó, Es Mercadal and Ses Salines.
In these areas:
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The keeping of poultry outdoorsis prohibited. Animals are allowed outdoors only if food and water are provided in protected areas and without contact with wild birds.
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Weekly poultry markets for self-consumption can only continue without mixing animals from different farms and if the evolution is favorable; in areas of special risk they are prohibited if they bring together birds from several municipalities.
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Livestock contests, suspended in municipalities under risk or surveillance; in the rest, prior authorization will be required.
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Local Veterinary Units will intensify visits and information to ensure compliance.
The Conselleria reminds that any health anomaly -mortality higher than 3%, sudden drop in water or feed consumption, drop in laying or compatible signs- should be reported immediately to the Official Veterinary Services. Passenger pigeons can maintain their training flights, under veterinary supervision of vaccinations.
“Small but strategic”: an X-ray of the sector
In the Balearic Islands there are more than 6,000 poultry farms, of which 5,780 are self-consumption farms and 170 are small farms. The focus of the work of the General Directorate is centered on 44 production and reproduction farms, with 28 commercial farms (more than 1,500 hens) -11 meat and 17 laying farms-. Mallorca concentrates 80% of the poultry; Menorca and Ibiza maintain “modest but stable” percentages.
Evolution 2024 (preview presented at the conference):
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Laying hens: from 332,649 to 296,354 head(-11%).
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Slaughter: 133,959 birds(+3% vs. 2023). Broilers total 131,495(+2%). Guinea fowl increased +17%.
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Eggs: 7.8 million dozens(+1%). Organic production falls -57%.
Costs and profitability
The first cost study presented today shows clear differences between conventional and organic systems:
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Meat (conventional): average 1,600 chickens/batch; 4.4 kg/animal; income €19.6 per chicken; cost €14.2.
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Meat (organic): 1,950 chickens/batch; 2.68 kg/animal; income 28.8 €; cost 29.9 € ⇒ average loss 1.12 € per chicken.
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Eggs (conventional): cost 3,66 € per dozen; average price 3,90 €.
“It is a small but strategic sector, with many opportunities, especially for young farmers,” stressed Fernandez, who linked poultry development to food security, livestock diversification and the transition to more sustainable models. ” Biosecurity is not only a regulatory obligation, but a collective commitment to animal health and the continuity of a sector that is part of the productive identity of the Balearic Islands,” he added.
Context in Ibiza
As La Voz de Ibiza has been reporting, the Ministry included Ibiza, Sant Josep and Santa Eulària among the risk areas, with mandatory confinement of poultry and reinforcement of active surveillance. Although no cases have been detected on the island, the authorities insist on not handling dead or sick wild birds and to warn in case of compatible symptoms.
