Lithuania has reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, on a laying hen farm in the western part of the country, Reuters reported citing the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) on Wednesday The outbreak killed 20,000 birds out of a flock of 246,387 in the Silute district quoting information from Lithuanian authorities has raised concerns among governments and the poultry industry after it ravaged flocks around the world in recent years fuelling higher food prices and raising the risk of human transmission Global Ag Media provides a knowledge sharing platform offering premium news analysis and information resources for the global agriculture industry Sign up to our regular newsletter and access news from across the Global AG Media network Following the detection of an outbreak of avian (bird) influenza A(H5N1) virus among laying hens at UAB “Vilkyčių paukštynas” in the Šilutė district not only poultry farmers but also public health authorities and the population are increasingly concerned we have registered only that outbreak in the Šilutė district and found a dead swan in southern Lithuania Tests showed it was also infected with the bird influenza virus 46 thousand laying hens have been culled in the Vilkyčiai farm,” Gytis Kauzonas the Director of the Lithuanian Poultry Association (LPA) following a meeting of the National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC) including the closure of access roads to the location there were 250 000 egg-laying hens in the farm A 10km protection and surveillance zone has been established around the infected farm in Šilutė district all poultry farms are prohibited from transporting live birds or poultry products to other locations without special permission from the VMVT Klaipėda regional office The World Health Organization (WHO) states on its website that whenever avian influenza viruses circulate in poultry there is a risk of sporadic infections and small clusters of human cases due to exposure to infected poultry or contaminated environments has announced that the containment of the dangerous avian influenza virus at a laying hen farm in Šilutė district has been completed The farm will only be allowed to resume operations after thorough disinfection The State Food and Veterinary Service (VMVT) will lift restrictions only after confirming that no traces of the virus remain monitoring of other poultry farms in contact with the affected facility is ongoing there are no new suspicions of virus spread According to Lithuania’s Chief Veterinarian initial assessments suggest that the virus may have entered the farm through trade-related movements from already infected areas in Poland where 14 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks have been confirmed to date The most recent outbreaks were detected in the Puławy and infected birds and products were destroyed and they get closer to our common border,” G a highly contagious viral infection affecting birds has recently re-emerged in Poland after nearly five decades of absence The initial outbreak was confirmed in July 2023 on a commercial farm in the Białystok district of the Podlaskie province which housed approximately 43 410 hens intended for slaughter three additional outbreaks were identified in nearby farms the disease resurfaced with increased severity Between the 13th and 22nd of December 2024 five new outbreaks were reported in the Podlaskie and Mazowieckie provinces with the largest housing up to 447 218 slaughter hens these outbreaks necessitated the culling of over 900 000 birds to contain the virus’s spread “It is considered to be even more devastating for poultry than the A(H5N1) virus,” the association head said Lithuanian poultry farmers are wary of the situation and hope it will not impact them the news about the Šilutė farm is very alarming our farm is not affected,” Gintas Cimakauskas head of the agricultural company “Ginkūnų paukštynas,” which also keeps laying hens stated that poultry farmers are currently worried If a disaster were to occur without state support recovering would be an extremely difficult task Insurers avoid providing coverage for cases like bird flu the Vilkyčiai farm can expect some compensation from the Agriculture Ministry,” G the Ministry of Agriculture has said it provides up to 100% compensation for losses incurred by livestock owners who properly follow biosecurity measures Compensation applies in cases of outbreaks of highly infectious animal diseases there are around one hundred poultry farms in Lithuania Lithuania cannot ban the import of poultry and poultry-related products from an EU country where bird flu has been detected trade restrictions apply only to specific zones within EU states affected by bird flu poultry farmers must take personal responsibility for ensuring safety measures Both Polish and Lithuanian regulatory authorities issue transport permits only for poultry from farms outside the affected areas “Trade relations between Lithuania and Poland are strong making Poland’s rapidly spreading and economically damaging bird flu outbreaks a significant threat to Lithuania’s poultry industry both businesses and private individuals trading with Poland should carefully evaluate the risks of importing poultry or products potentially carrying the virus Visits to Polish poultry farms should also be reconsidered,” Saulius Jasius Director of the Department of Sustainable Agricultural Production and Food Industry at the Ministry of Agriculture (ŽŪM) The Ministry of Agriculture (ŽŪM) urges poultry keepers to remain alert and carefully consider whether it is wise to import poultry from Poland It is also advised to refrain from visiting farms in that country temporarily Outbreaks of infectious diseases severely impact farms and imposing financial burdens on the state it is crucial to follow all possible safety measures and recommendations some cautioned that it could push the prices of hen eggs up and sustainable farming practices – the sector is getting rid of the use of cages,” G The European Union (EU) has proposed a ban on the use of cages in animal farming and is set to implement a complete ban on cages by 2027 a total of 261 cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus have been reported from five countries within the Western Pacific Region resulting in a case fatality rate (CFR) of 54% Follow us on Facebook and X! Public broadcaster LRT reported that 30,000 birds have died Mayor of Šilutė district told LRT that a meeting of the National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC) would take place Response measures to the situation will be considered including possible closure of access roads to the location there are 250,000 egg-laying hens in the farm Šilutė District Municipality stated on its Facebook profile that responsible agencies are taking all the necessary measures to stop the bird flu outbreak TALLINN - The Latvian national airline Air Baltic the largest airline company in the Baltic countries on Friday announced the conclusion of its special voting contest which invited participants to name 48 aircraft of the company's Airbus A220-300 fleet after cities from Latvia The 16 Estonian cities that received the most votes in the contest are Elva The cities of Latvia chosen by the voters are Aizpute The Lithuanian winners are Anykščiai held in celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Baltic Way attracted significant interest and participation both within the Baltic states and beyond the contest received more than one million votes said: "We are delighted by the overwhelming enthusiasm and engagement this contest generated The 35th anniversary of the Baltic Way is a momentous occasion celebrating unity across the Baltic states By naming our aircraft after cities in Latvia we honor this event and strengthen the connection among nations It is a privilege to have our fleet carry the names of these cities worldwide Participants could vote for any city in Latvia or Lithuania that holds official city status The Baltic Way was a peaceful political demonstration which took place on Aug when an estimated two million people joined their hands to form a 600-kilometer human chain through the Baltic countries to demonstrate their unity in the efforts towards freedom from the Soviet Union A subscription to The Baltic Times is a cost-effective way of staying in touch with the latest Baltic news and views enabling you full access from anywhere with an Internet connection. Subscribe Now! 2025 © The Baltic Times /Cookies Policy Privacy Policy became uncontrollable due to a change in wind direction and crashed into buildings in a village in Šilutė district at 20:30 on Sunday were injured and taken to hospitals in Klaipėda and Šilutė Two patients injured in the hot air balloon crash are being treated in the Intensive Care Unit of the Klaipėda University Hospital according to its spokesperson Jolanta Juškevičienė The hot air balloon pilots interviewed by LRT.lt said that the woman who piloted the balloon is well-known in the community and she often takes part in various hot air balloon competitions A pre-trial investigation into the infliction of minor injuries has been launched The underground rapid transit lines have been under construction for almost two decades due to various project delays The cross pinnacle on the Tower of Jesus Christ will be ready to receive visitors in 2026 on the centennial of Gaudi’s death Now you can get your wine in Talence by paying directly in Bitcoin That’s because the state has to spend money on updating the railway infrastructure rather than subsidizing the cost of the popular pass Steffen Romstöck said that he would respect the residents’ choice and would take over the helm of the municipality which will come into force from 1 January 2025 Rethinking renewable energy sources for the urban landscape But operating them is still illegal under the country’s legislation can inform and inspire communities and entrepreneurs that still feel trepidation at the prospect of energy transition it has a unique modular design that allows it to be shortened and lengthened like a train that’s the promise made by the mayor of Paris the district has long been known as the hangout spot for the artsy crowds Hostal de Pinós is located in the geographical centre of the autonomous region the ranking considers several distinct but essential factors these quiet areas will now be available on all main routes in the country The academic institution shows a deeper understanding of the well-being of its students The local government of the Lithuanian city of Silute has been on a roll lately After recently unveiling newly refurbished and enhanced bus stations the municipality has revealed its plans for the further development of the city Up first are the improvement and construction efforts focused in the historical centre of the city – where Silute’s history first began The project envisions the following improvements: the reconstructions of streets and sidewalks The area surrounding the Šyša River will also be improved and adapted for use by citizens The municipality is also envisioning the establishment of new outdoor sporting centres and equipment The local government is further planning improvements to many of the city’s streets the construction of new ones and the building of bridges – all in order to improve mobility and reduce the odds of traffic jams To not only enhance the safety of citizens but also the beautify the surroundings new streetlamps will be set up pretty much everywhere in Silute Local officials have also stated that they are closely monitoring the situation with the availability of spots in schools and kindergartens in the city construction efforts lead to specific results The hopes of the municipality are that these results will entail an increase in employment in the area as it becomes more and more business and people-friendly The 10th European Conference on Sustainable Cities and Towns (ESCT) sets the stage for stronger cooperation between the EU national and local level to fast track Europe's transition to climate neutrality Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces An interview with the Mayor of a Polish city that seeks to reinvent itself An interview with the newly elected ICLEI President and Mayor of Malmö A conversation with the Mayor of Lisbon about the spirit and dimensions of innovation present in the Portuguese capital This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved head of Šilutė District Municipality Administration “We are talking to the residents about how we will deliver drinking water to them,” Pozingis said Firefighters are also helping the residents They have brought a generator to one of the houses where the electricity supply had to be disconnected Several people have already been evacuated the municipality would provide them with temporary accommodation Rubber trousers used by fishermen have also been distributed to some residents the flood was probably caused by temperature fluctuations when the accumulated water first froze and then melted because of warmer weather Lithuanian Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė discussed flood management measures with firefighters and representatives of the Šilutė District Municipality Firefighters are ready to help the flooded residents at any time in case of emergency,” Bilotaitė said are common in the Nemunas Delta area of Šilutė district Nelja Energia opened the Ciuteliai wind farm in Lithuania It is Lithuania’s largest wind farm with a total capacity of 39.1 MW the Chairman of the Board of Nelja Energia said the company invested approximately 57.4 million Euros in developing the new wind farm The estimated annual production of the wind farm This is enough to power 27,000 households with electricity “The recently completed wind park will make a significant contribution to the Lithuanian renewable energy development,” explained Kruus “We are currently planning onshore wind farms in Latvia and Lithuania there are about 170 MW wind energy under development in these countries In Estonia the volatile energy policy in recent years has made new investments into onshore wind farms extremely difficult,” Kruus added The Ciuteliai wind farm is located 15km North from Šilutė and 19km East from the Baltic Sea coast The wind farm comprises an area of 800 hectares The height of the mast of the wind turbine is 108 m The wind farm developer Nelja Energia is based on the Nordic and Estonian capital and it is the largest wind energy producer in the Baltic States Nelja Energia has wind farms with the total capacity of 223 MW This makes Nelja Energia one of the largest Estonian investors in Lithuania In 2012 35% of Nelja Energia’s wind energy production came from Lithuanian wind farms This year the number is estimated to grow to 42% of the company’s electricity production In Estonia the main focus is offshore wind energy by developing the Hiiumaa offshore wind park Daily news and in-depth stories in your inbox Leveraging 20 years of experience with offshore windDecember 2023 will forever mark a milestone in our company history as we became part of the world-wide CS WIND group The acquisition goes beyond a mere change in ownership; it marks a leap into a future where our combined strengths will pave the way for optimized production […] Firefighting equipment is being sent from across the country "The situation is very complicated because of strong winds which are not expected to die down tomorrow as well (…) It will probably take very long to put it out," Laura Valauskiene a spokeswoman for the Fire and Rescue Department equipment is being sent from across the country and a helicopter might also be involved The report of a peat fire in the village of Sisgyriai was received at 1.13 p.m Some ten fire-engines have been sent to the scene told BNS Lithuania the fire poses no direct threat to local residents as it broke out further from the settlement heavy smoke would reach nearby villages and the city of Silute A huge fire also broke out here in 2011 and destroyed an area of several hundred hectares Lithuania is looking for ways to send one of the army's Mi-8 helicopters to assist in the extinguishing of a huge peat fire in Lithuania's western district of Silute And the country has already reached an agreement with neighboring Latvia on possible assistance if needed a spokeswoman for the national defense minister "We are trying to send one of the Mi-8 helicopters and we don’t know how but we'll probably send it we will ask the Latvians for assistance," Vita Ramanauskaite said adding that National Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis discussed such a possibility with representatives of Latvia on Friday the minister reached an agreement that the Latvians will help," she said one of the Lithuanian army's Dauphin helicopters is monitoring the fire area The Lithuanian army has Mi-8 helicopters capable of extinguishing fires but the army's representatives told BNS Lithuania earlier that one of them is undergoing mandatory technical maintenance after 100 flight hours Although the army also has Dauphin helicopters and border guards have Eurocopters they cannot perform the fire extinguishing function Mi-8 helicopters have Bambi Bucket-type water collection equipment which allows collecting over 2,500 liters of water at a time inspectors from the Ombudsperson’s Office at the Lithuanian parliament found a man incarcerated inside Skemai social care home in northern Lithuania the resident had spent more than two weeks in the small cell A metallic bunk and a chair with a hole and a bucket underneath serving as a toilet were the only furnishings he had The report by the body supervising social institutions in Lithuania noted that the man had been living in Skemai care home since March The administration of the institution deemed him unpredictable and aggressive but he did not receive personalised evaluation and treatment “The person has not received an individual social care plan […] It was not clear what kind of help and services he needed to maintain his mental stability,” the report said The inspectors also noted general neglect of residents at the social care institution Workers at Skemai said they did not organise any special activities for the residents and only took care of their food and hygiene Some of them were also restrained with belts The police launched two criminal investigations into unlawful imprisonment and potential forgery of documents at Skemai The Seimas Ombudsperson’s Office has found similar violations in other social care institutions in Anykščiai Anknysta care home in Anykščiai locked its residents in rooms without toilets and provided them with buckets for defecation permanent confinement of people in their rooms was contrary to the international human rights standards and was not a proportionate measure to ensure security It also amounted to degrading treatment prohibited under international law the inspectors recorded an unlawful use of belts and straitjackets to constrain residents According to the institution, its workers used such measures only in exceptional circumstances to prevent a person and their co-residents from getting hurt.Read more: Lithuania investigates animal mistreatment in wake of social media outrage head of the Human Rights Department at the Seimas Ombudsperson’s Office violations recorded at social care homes in Lithuania were shocking and atypical in modern society “We did not think that such things were happening in our country We would like to believe that these are atypical cases and that other social care institutions in Lithuania are more advanced,” Valentinavičius told LRT.lt social workers justified their actions saying that working with mentally and physically impaired people was challenging and they did not have any other option but to isolate them “But stripping a person of their freedoms is not isolation president of the Lithuanian Disability Forum said that human rights violations at social care institutions amounted to torture the revealed violations exposed a systemic problem of removing disabled people from society and putting them into dysfunctional institutions Juodkaitė added that the violations were also a symptom of their workers’ attitude towards handicapped people “We have already had a discourse that beating women and children was unacceptable we need to talk about the security of people with disabilities We need to understand that they are people that have dignity and rights,” she explained human rights violations are more common in large enclosed institutions where conflicts can easily break out between residents Conflicts are even more likely if residents with disabilities are not occupied and do not engage in any activities to help them improve their emotional health partially admitted his fault but said that some residents were too difficult to deal with “Some people cannot live here because they need medical care But doctors do not accept them because they have permanent brain damage and are untreatable,” Kiaušas said He added that some residents at Aknysta needed permanent attention while two of them were so aggressive that they had to be locked up said that the institution will take the report on human rights violations seriously that her employees used restraining measures following the recommendations of psychiatrists The head of Skemai social care home did not comment on the situation because of an ongoing criminal investigation All three institutions belong to the Ministry of Social Security and Labour The ministry is aware that large social care institutions cannot meet the needs of their residents an adviser to the social security minister “They are not convenient for people with disabilities because they look like closed hospitals but not like a cosy home,” Samoškaitė said the ministry is conducting a reform to establish smaller community homes instead of large social care institutions The new concept would provide for more opportunities for individualised help and direct attention to every resident who has been raising livestock near Šilutė is one of the protectors of the endangered birds This means that ornitologists can inspect his 5-hectare farm so the man now cuts his grass later than he would do normally Stankus explains that he decided to join the preservation programme after accidentally destroying a nest of northern lapwing while mowing his lawn The lapwing flew away and left eight or ten eggs on the ground This story touched me deeply,” says the farmer also participates in the aquatic warblers preservation programme in his five-hectare territory He says that the protection of one species brings benefits to other animals as well but at the same time other species are being protected It’s so nice to walk through the meadow now […] Even ducks are not afraid of me anymore,” he shares There are 186 farmers who participate in the programme aimed at preserving aquatic warblers in Lithuania Some of the declared protection zones are in Žuvintas Ornithologists visit the protected areas every year and mark places where aquatic warblers nest The farmers who participate in the programme commit to not mow the lawn until at least mid-July “The baby birds stay in the nests [until midsummer] and the mothers are feeding them They are not strong enough to run away from the mowing machines so we are protecting them and postponing the mowing,” explains Rita Grinienė environmental specialist at the Baltic Environmental Forum The high levels of water attract many insects that are the main food for the birds This is important because aquatic warblers breed twice during the summer It is counted that there are 142 aquatic warbler males around Šilutė and 246 in the entire country The farmers who are part of the programme receive government grants of 291 euros per hectare for preserving the birds in natural and partly natural meadows and 160 in wetlands Since the beginning of the programme in 2015 the participating farmers have already received 3,46 million euros in grants the head of the environmental politics group at the Ministry of Environment says that Lithuania also needs better bird protection around water bodies But such projects would be difficult to implement without European Union support When farmers finally start mowing their meadows they bring the cut grass to a factory which makes environmentally-friendly granules that are exported and used for producing biofuel “The farmers benefit because they receive grants and preserve aquatic warblers They can also get rid of the biomass that is no longer suitable for feeding the animals but can be repurposed for biofuel,” says Petras Lengvinas The global aquatic warbler population has contracted by 95 percent This means that there is a higher chance to see an African bush elephant than this bird The species is endangered because of intensive farming and draining of wetlands director of the Baltic Environmental Forum Lithuania’s effort to preserve aquatic warblers is even more important this year are being destroyed by fires in these countries Aldona Gustas PHOTO: Johnas Coltonas / Browse Gallery Aldona Gustas passed away in Berlin on Thursday at the age of 90 Gustas was born on April 4 a village in what is now the western Lithuanian district of Silute She spent her early childhood years in Lithuania but fled to Germany with her mother when the Soviet army occupied the country together with Nobel literature laureate Guenter Grass and other like-minded people She held numerous solo and group exhibitions and published several collections of poetry some of which have been translated into Lithuanian Her cremated remains will be scattered over the Baltic Sea more than a quarter million poultry were culled after bird flu was detected at a farm in Vilkyčiai in the western district of Šilutė “We’ve received reports from Japan and Kyrgyzstan about export restrictions specifically on Klaipėda County," Busauskas told LRT RADIO “The French Polynesia region also applied restrictions to the Klaipėda region.” which does not recognise the principle of regionalisation has revoked Lithuania’s free country status due to bird flu meaning no exports can be made from the entire country,” he said The VMVT confirmed an outbreak of highly pathogenic bird flu at Groward Group’s Vilkyčiai poultry farm in late January Officials suspect that the virus could have come from Poland but do not rule out other possibilities The Šilutė district authorities declared a two-week local emergency at the end of January due to the bird flu outbreak Almost all of the farm’s 250,000 hens were culled due to the bird flu outbreak head of the VMVT Klaipėda Regional Surveillance Division told BNS in early February that cleaning work at the Vilkyčiai poultry farm would begin shortly and take at least a month The Vilkyčiai poultry farm is owned by Groward Group an agricultural trading group indirectly controlled by Kaunas Mayor Visvaldas Matijošaitis and Liudas Skierus Ten tank trucks were sent to keep the fire of Traksėdžiai Mire Firefighters have asked the military to send two helicopters have been advised to stay indoors and close windows Firefighters say their effort is hampered by strong winds The nearest body of water is one kilometre from the fire A big peatland fire occurred in a nearby Aukštumala Mire in 2011 It took four days for a big firefighting effort to extinguish the fire which made much damage to the environment in Aukštumala Nature Reserve Traksėdžiai Mire is part of Aukštumala Marsh one of the biggest wetlands in Lithuania and home to a fragile ecosystem with a number of endangered species a natural accumulation of partially decayed vegetation is one of planet's most efficient form of carbon storage and is used as biomass fuel kodas: 300781534 Įregistruota LR įmonių registre registro tvarkytojas:Valstybės įmonė Registrų centras lrytas.lt redakcija news@lrytas.lt Pranešimai apie techninius nesklandumus pagalba@lrytas.lt Atsisiųskite mobiliąją lrytas.lt programėlę