Salmonella in German poultry in 2025: BfR reports that EU targets for the serovars under control were met in all groups, but the share of fattening turkey flocks with S. Enteritidis rose from 0.1% to 0.5%
On 1 October 2026 Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) published its national report on the Salmonella control programme for 2025, based on the federal states’ data from food business operators’ own checks and official controls. The share of Salmonella-positive flocks rose in breeding hens, broilers and breeding and fattening turkeys, and fell in laying hens.
- In laying hens 6,729 flocks were tested; Salmonella was detected in 71 (1.1% compared with 1.5% in 2024) and S. Enteritidis or S. Typhimurium in 42 (0.6%), against an EU target of 2%. In broilers 298 of 20,351 flocks were positive (1.5% compared with 1.3%), with the serovars under control in 11 flocks (0.05%); S. Infantis was found in only 3 flocks, compared with 32 in 2022.
- In breeding hens (775 flocks) Salmonella was found in 9 flocks (1.2%), 4 of which carried one of the five serovars under control (0.5%) — compared with 2 flocks without such serovars a year earlier. BfR notes that these are the first detections of control-relevant serovars in this group for several years.
- In fattening turkeys (4,151 flocks) Salmonella occurred in 45 flocks (1.1%), S. Enteritidis or S. Typhimurium in 27 (0.7%). In breeding turkeys S. Typhimurium was detected in 1 of 83 flocks (1.2%), i.e. above 1%, but the target is considered met because one positive flock is allowed where fewer than 100 flocks are tested.
- This rule is laid down in Article 1 of Regulation (EU) No 1190/2012: the Union target for turkeys is at most 1% of flocks positive for S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium (including the monophasic variant 1,4,[5],12:i:-), and in Member States with fewer than 100 flocks at most one positive flock per year. According to the consolidated text, testing for Salmonella spp. is carried out in accordance with EN ISO 6579-1.