After experiencing its worst wave of bird flu
After experiencing its worst wave of the disease last season, which resulted in the culling of about 20 million chickens, ducks, and turkeys and a sharp decline in poultry and foie gras production, France had already noticed an increase in bird flu outbreaks over the summer.
The farm ministry posted on its website on Wednesday that “the health situation with regard to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in France has deteriorated since August and has worsened in recent weeks.”
The second-largest producer of poultry in the EU, France, has seen an increase in bird flu cases in recent weeks, according to the farm ministry, raising concerns about further shortages.
The farm ministry posted on its website on Wednesday that “the health situation with regard to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in France has deteriorated since August and has worsened in recent weeks.”
According to the ministry, there were 217 bird flu outbreaks discovered on French farms by December 20—an increase from 100 on December 2. The number of cases in wildlife has also sharply increased.
Marc Fesneau, the French Minister of Agriculture, will visit the area on Thursday to present a vaccination plan to combat the disease. With a high density of poultry, the Pays de la Loire region is home to more than half of the outbreaks on farms.
In France, web-footed birds like ducks and geese have been used to test vaccines. It aims to persuade other EU members to adopt a unified strategy because poultry producers are concerned about the frequent trade restrictions put on meat from immunised animals.
Globally, flocks have been decimated by bird flu
Which has killed more than 100 million birds in just Europe and the United States.
Despite the virus’s invulnerability in food, governments and the poultry industry are worried about its spread because of the havoc it can wreak on flocks, the possibility of trade restrictions, and the possibility of human transmission.
Last month, France placed the nation on “high” alert for bird flu, forcing poultry farms to confine their animals indoors. In order to stop the disease from spreading, it had also implemented special measures, such as preventive culling in some areas.
