September 9, 2022

New bird flu outbreak in France raises concerns of year-round risk

An unseasonal wave of bird flu at the French Atlantic coast this summer has affected wild birds, alarming conservationists and poultry farmers as this could mean the virus may have become a year-round risk and endemic to French wildlife, Reuters reported.

The viral infection usually spreads in autumn and winter, with more than 19 million birds culled between November and May in France's poultry industry, the European Union's second largest.

The French government loosened restrictions on poultry farming in June following a brief lull in farm outbreaks in May.

However, the virus quickly spread to flocks along the Brittany coast before gradually moving south.

According to the agriculture ministry, seven additional bird flu outbreaks have been identified on French farms since late July.

The ministry warned about the risk of contamination to poultry farms on its website, describing the situation as "exceptional - never encountered in France before" due to its scope and the time when cases are being discovered.

French poultry industry group Anvol said French poultry farmers had already experienced a near 10% drop in output this year before the most recent outbreaks. They are still recovering from previous outbreaks and the mass culling that followed.

Jean-Michel Schaeffer, Anvol chairman, said in the past, migratory birds were responsible for bird flu outbreaks; however, recently, they have noticed an increase in cases in French wildlife. This is a new development that worries farmers and the entire poultry industry.

Bird flu is typically spread through direct contact with contaminated feed, clothing, or equipment or through the droppings of infected wild birds that are migrating.

-      Reuters