March 29, 2022

 

 

Julien Denormandie, France's Minister for Agriculture, has pledged to assist the country's poultry industry, which is affected by bird flu, by providing compensation.

 

Julien Denormandie, France's Minister for Agriculture, has pledged to assist the country's poultry industry, which is affected by bird flu, by providing compensation,

 

So far, more than €2 million (US$2.2 million) were already spent to help the sector, The Connexion reported.

 

More than 8.2 million birds have been killed in the current bird flu outbreak, with 554 farms out of 1,028 affected west of France, based on data from the French Ministry of Agriculture.

 

Thierry Lumineau, president of the poultry section of the French farmers union FNSEA in Vendee department, said this is one of worst outbreaks in his 35-year experience in the industry. The 13,000 turkeys he owned died in 72 hours.

 

The virus had previously spread southwest of France, but is now reaching severe levels in northern, western region of Pays de la Loire, the second biggest poultry producing region in the country after Brittany.

 

France's poultry-producing regions have been affected by bird flu since 2015, especially in southwest of the country.

 

The first bird flu case of the season was reported on December 16, 2022 in Gers.

 

Bird flu appears to have been contained in Vendee, with only six new cases reported and neighbouring departments less affected.

 

Joël Limouzin, vice-president of the Pays de la Loire Chamber of Agriculture, said they are waiting a government decree to cull all poultry within a radius of 3-5 km of the 250 strategic genetic selection sites for ducks, hens, turkeys and chickens that supply the entire country.

 

He said disinfection will be carried out on poultry houses, and no new birds will be raised there for several weeks.

 

-      The Connexion