According to a report by the Chief Veterinary Officer for the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Germany, an outbreak of H5N8 strain avian influenza was diagnosed in a flock of 9,000 parent-level geese. The farm was located near Grimma in Saxony and resulted in depletion with appropriate surveillance of surrounding farms.
According to the EU, Germany has recorded highly pathogenic avian influenza in twelve states with H5N8 predominating. Isolations of H5N5 and H5N3 have been made from free-living birds. The EU has documented H5N8 infections in commercial poultry and free-living birds from twelve member nations.