Poland’s Chief Veterinary Inspectorate (GIW) confirmed yesterday, 24 March 2026, that more than four million birds have been culled since January amid the worst H5N1 outbreak in three years. The agriculture ministry has asked neighbouring EU states to coordinate “deep-clean” protocols at land borders and airports for vehicles transporting live poultry, feed and by-products. Under temporary measures effective immediately, truck drivers entering Poland from Germany, the Czech Republic and Lithuania must present disinfection certificates and may be rerouted to designated inspection lanes. Airport ground-handling agents at Warsaw and Kraków have been instructed to segregate cargo holds carrying animal-origin products and to notify border veterinarians 24 hours in advance. Business travellers visiting affected farms are advised to carry employer attestations and wear disposable footwear covers; several voivodeships now require mandatory boot-washing stations at facility entrances.
![Avian-flu surge prompts tighter cross-border sanitary controls on agriculture staff and cargo]()
For travelers grappling with these new biosecurity and documentation hurdles, VisaHQ can simplify the process. The company’s Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) offers up-to-date guidance on entry rules, secures visas and health declarations online, and can arrange courier pickup for original certificates—helping drivers, technicians and executives avoid delays at the border.
Expatriate managers returning from overseas poultry sites should expect random luggage swabs for organic matter. The crackdown comes at a sensitive time for Poland’s agri-food exporters, whose workforce relies heavily on seasonal employees from Ukraine and Belarus. Recruiters fear that quarantine obligations—currently 48 hours confinement for staff arriving from ‘red’ zones—could delay the April hatchery cycle. Freight forwarders likewise warn of schedule disruptions as customs officers juggle veterinary checks and the new EU Entry/Exit System testing. Companies should map supply chains for exposure, build contingency buffers, and brief travelling technicians on the evolving requirements. The ministry will review the restrictions on 15 April, but officials caution that controls could stay until infection rates fall below the EU alert threshold.
For travelers grappling with these new biosecurity and documentation hurdles, VisaHQ can simplify the process. The company’s Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) offers up-to-date guidance on entry rules, secures visas and health declarations online, and can arrange courier pickup for original certificates—helping drivers, technicians and executives avoid delays at the border.
Expatriate managers returning from overseas poultry sites should expect random luggage swabs for organic matter. The crackdown comes at a sensitive time for Poland’s agri-food exporters, whose workforce relies heavily on seasonal employees from Ukraine and Belarus. Recruiters fear that quarantine obligations—currently 48 hours confinement for staff arriving from ‘red’ zones—could delay the April hatchery cycle. Freight forwarders likewise warn of schedule disruptions as customs officers juggle veterinary checks and the new EU Entry/Exit System testing. Companies should map supply chains for exposure, build contingency buffers, and brief travelling technicians on the evolving requirements. The ministry will review the restrictions on 15 April, but officials caution that controls could stay until infection rates fall below the EU alert threshold.
