End of poultry confinement 2026: what changes for farms outside risk zones

Key data

Poultry farms in low avian flu risk zones regain their operational freedom from 1 April 2026. Orden APA/300/2026 partially lifts the mandatory confinement that Orden APA/1288/2025 had imposed in November 2025 on all poultry operations across the country.

The lifting is not universal: it only applies to producers located in municipalities not listed in Annexes II and III of Orden APA/2442/2006, which are the annexes that define the highest sanitary risk zones for avian influenza. If your municipality does appear in those annexes, confinement remains mandatory.

What does this regulation establish?

Orden APA/1288/2025, published in November 2025, imposed mandatory confinement of birds on all poultry operations in Spain as a preventive measure against avian flu. That measure required keeping birds indoors, with no access to the outside.

The new Orden APA/300/2026 partially repeals that obligation. The criterion for determining who is exempt is clear: if the municipality where the operation is located does not appear in Annexes II and III of Orden APA/2442/2006, confinement is no longer required.

Orden APA/2442/2006, of 27 July, is the reference regulation that establishes specific protective measures against avian influenza and defines the highest-risk zones. Its Annexes II and III are the map that determines who remains confined and who does not.

Economic and operational impact

Prolonged confinement of birds carries a real cost for producers: higher feed consumption in enclosed spaces, additional ventilation and climate control costs, restrictions on marketing products labelled as «free-range» or «barn-raised», and loss of market value in extensive production systems.

The lifting of confinement represents a direct operational and economic relief for farms in low-risk zones. Producers can:

• Resume free-range or semi-extensive production systems.
• Recover the labelling and sale price associated with extensive or free-range production.
• Reduce operational costs linked to maintaining confinement.

For operations that remain in municipalities listed in Annexes II and III, the situation does not change: confinement costs continue and all current protocols must be maintained.

Who is affected?

• Poultry farms in municipalities outside Annexes II and III of Orden APA/2442/2006: released from mandatory confinement from 1 April 2026.
• Free-range, barn or semi-extensive poultry producers: may resume their usual production systems.
• Poultry operations in municipalities included in Annexes II and III of Orden APA/2442/2006: mandatory confinement maintained without changes.
• Livestock farmers with birds of any species in areas not considered high risk for avian influenza.

Practical example

A free-range chicken farm located in a municipality in Castilla y León that does not appear in Annexes II and III of Orden APA/2442/2006 had been required since November 2025 to keep its birds confined indoors. This prevented it from marketing its production under the «free-range» designation, with the resulting impact on price and product differentiation.

From 1 April 2026, this farm can once again give its birds access to the outdoors, resume its extensive production system and restart marketing under the designations and prices associated with that type of production.

In contrast, a farm located in a municipality included in Annex II or III of Orden APA/2442/2006 — for example, in wetland areas or migratory bird flyways with high risk pressure — must continue to maintain confinement until a new order specifically lifts it for those zones.

What should businesses do now?

1. Check whether the municipality where the operation is located appears in Annexes II and III of Orden APA/2442/2006. This is the critical step: if the municipality does not appear, confinement is no longer mandatory. If it does, it remains so.
2. Consult Orden APA/2442/2006 directly in the BOE to locate Annexes II and III and verify the exact situation of each operation.
3. If the municipality is not in the annexes: document internally the decision to lift confinement, with express reference to Orden APA/300/2026, in case justification is required during an inspection.
4. If the municipality is in the annexes: maintain all current confinement protocols and do not modify the housing conditions of the birds until a new order is issued.
5. Review product contracts and labelling for producers resuming free-range or outdoor systems, updating designations and marketing conditions accordingly.

Official source

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, please consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-7344