January 17, 2006

France offers EUR6-million aid to poultry farmers

France announced EUR6 million in new aid to poultry farmers on Monday to counter a sharp fall in sales because of bird flu.

Agriculture Minister Dominique Bussereau said most of the new money would be set aside for direct aid for farmers and others in the industry, with EUR1 million to teach consumers about the safety of fully cooked poultry.

The aid was designed to help an industry suffering from a 20 percent drop in sales in the first two weeks of 2006 compared with a year earlier, the ministry said, summarising Bussereau's comments.

Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin on Friday ordered fowls confined in 58 regions, more than doubling the area where France was taking preventative measures against bird flu.

Bussereau said then that the areas were considered risk zones "where there could be migratory birds" that could carry the virus to France, where no cases have yet been reported.