Avian influenza in Italy primarily affects turkey farms

Almost half of the infected poultry farms are specialised in turkey meat while 8 hold laying hens, the reports of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe) shows.

On 29 September 2025, the Italian National Reference Centre for Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease confirmed the first case in the second half of 2025 of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus subtype H5N1 in poultry. General and specific control measures in the protection and surveillance zones were implemented.

In October, 15 new cases were reported, followed by 9 in November and 18 in the last month of the year. On 14 October 2025, the first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) subtype H5N1 in wild birds since February 2025 was confirmed.

Lombardy, the northern region around Milan without a seafront, seems to be hardest hit with 20 reported avian influenza infections on poultry farms so far. Emilia-Romagna, which stretches from Rimini at the Adriatic Coast to Parma in the northern region, had 9 cases. The rest of the infections are spread over other regions like Veneto around Venice and Piedmont which borders France.

So far, the IZSVe report doesn’t show any cases of avian influenza in more southern regions of the country.