March 14, 2022

France to cull several million poultry birds due to bird flu

France's Ministry of Agriculture, Agrifood, and Forestry is set to slaughter several million poultry in a second mass cull as it tries to contain a bird flu outbreak, Reuters reported.

The ministry said bird flu has spread to the Pays de la Loire region, a key poultry producer in the country's west coast, following a wave of cases in the southwest that has led to the culling of around 4 million animals.

1.2 million birds have been culled in Pays de la Loire and a further 3 million are expected to be culled, a ministry official said.

The highly contagious H5N1 strain of avian influenza has been spreading quickly in Europe in recent months.

French authorities will grant exemptions to allow reproduction farms in high-risk zones to continue supplying the rest of the country as the Pays de la Loire region is a major supplier of chicks. This is especially true for the country's southwest that is set to resume breeding after its bird flu lockdown.

The bird flu outbreaks have added pressure to poultry producers who are affected by rising food costs due to record grain prices caused by Russia's invasion into Ukraine.

Special aid has been promised to livestock sectors by France and the European Union.

-      Reuters