March 23, 2022

France authorises select farmers to asphyxiate poultry flocks to stop bird flu

Julien Denormandie, the French Agriculture Minister, said the government has authorised some farmers to to asphyxiate their poultry flocks to stop the spread of bird flu in the country, Reuters reported.

The practice has been opposed by farm unions and animal welfare activists. There has been a rebound in the number of bird flu outbreaks in the western part of France, where 25% of the country's poultry flock are raised.

Denormandie said asphyxiation is permitted in some cases where it is the only solution as livestock are dying over hours and days.

4 million birds have been culled after bird flu spread southwest of the country, and now the government is trying to stop outbreaks in the Pays de la Loire region, a major poultry zone further up France's Atlantic coast.

Denormandie said after a meeting with farm unions and local authorities that about 5 million poultry have been culled in Vendee and neighbouring departments.

Data from the country's farm ministry showed 975 reported outbreaks of highly pathogenic bird flu were detected in poultry farms by March 22 this year. The first outbreak was detected on November 26, 2021.

The highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu has been spreading throughout Europe, with Italy also badly affected.

Poultry are most often culled by euthanasia in France.

-      Reuters