End of poultry confinement due to avian flu: what changes for farms in 2026

Key data

Spanish poultry farms recover the ability to allow their birds outdoor access starting April 15, 2026. Order APA/338/2026 repeals the mandatory confinement that had been imposed in November 2025 due to the risk of avian influenza transmission.

This change normalizes breeding conditions in affected farms and has direct impact on the daily operations of farms, animal welfare, and the poultry product supply chain.

What does this regulation establish?

Order APA/338/2026 has a single legal effect: to repeal Order APA/1288/2025, which since November 11, 2025 required poultry farms to keep their animals confined as a preventive measure against avian influenza.

The following table summarizes the specific regulatory change:

The lifting of the measure indicates that health authorities have assessed that epidemiological risk has decreased sufficiently to not justify maintaining mandatory confinement. However, the regulation does not eliminate the possibility of reactivating restrictions if the health situation changes.

Economic and operational impact

The mandatory confinement in place since November 2025 imposed additional management costs on poultry farms: increased feed consumption in enclosed spaces, facility adaptations, increased internal health control, and in some cases, restrictions on marketing products with designations linked to free-range or outdoor rearing.

The lifting of the measure has the following operational implications:

• Farms can recover production systems with outdoor access, which may reduce operational costs for farms that had to adapt their management.
• Farms with animal welfare or organic production certifications requiring outdoor access can resume those breeding conditions.
• The poultry product supply chain recovers normality in production conditions, with possible positive impact on availability and prices.
• Distribution and processing companies of poultry products must update information about their suppliers' breeding conditions if this affects labeling or certifications.

The economic risk to monitor is the possibility of restrictions being reactivated. A new mandatory confinement order would require repeating the operational adaptations already made in November 2025.

Who does it affect?

• Holders of poultry farms with poultry in Spain: chicken farms, turkeys, ducks, laying hens and other production birds.
• Mixed livestock farms that include poultry among their livestock.
• Organic and animal welfare producers whose certifications require outdoor access for birds.
• Companies in the poultry supply chain: slaughterhouses, processing plants, distributors and exporters of poultry products.
• Veterinarians and advisors to poultry farms who manage regulatory health compliance for their clients.
• Food companies that market products with labeling linked to breeding conditions (free-range, organic, outdoor).

Practical example

A free-range chicken farm in Castilla y León that, since November 2025, had to keep its birds inside the henhouses to comply with mandatory confinement, can from April 15, 2026 reopen outdoor access and allow birds to go to the outdoor runs.

This allows it to recover the breeding conditions necessary to maintain its free-range production certification, which requires a minimum number of hours of outdoor access per bird. During the confinement period, this farm could not market its eggs or meat under that designation if it did not meet outdoor access requirements, which could mean a loss of commercial value for the product.

After the lifting, the farm must verify that its facilities continue to meet usual health requirements and remain alert to possible new confinement orders if the epidemiological situation of avian influenza changes.

What should companies do now?

1. Review the current state of facilities to verify that outdoor access for birds can be resumed safely and in accordance with usual health requirements.
2. Update internal management protocols to reflect the end of mandatory confinement and the return to usual breeding conditions.
3. Communicate the change to the supply chain: inform buyers, distributors or certifiers if breeding conditions affect product labeling or certifications (free-range, organic, animal welfare).
4. Maintain active health surveillance: lifting confinement does not eliminate avian influenza risk. Farms must continue applying biosecurity measures and remain alert to possible new restrictions if the epidemiological situation changes.
5. Consult with the farm's veterinarian before reopening outdoor access, especially if health incidents were detected during the confinement period.
6. Follow regulatory developments: a new confinement order can be activated at any time if authorities detect a resurgence of avian influenza risk.