More than 770,000 French poultry have been culled since Aug. 1 to stop bird flu, the agriculture ministry, which has just ordered the confinement of free-range birds, said on Thursday.
In the space of a month, this assessment has more than doubled due to the progression of the virus on farms. The previous report communicated to AFP on October 12 reported the slaughter of more than 330,000 animals.
Risk level “high”
The level of risk related to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird flu, was raised to “high” throughout metropolitan France by a decree published Thursday in the Official Gazette.
“In a context marked by an unprecedented persistence of the virus in the environment and a strong migratory activity of wild birds, it is essential to reinforce preventive measures to avoid contamination of poultry farms”, justifies the Ministry of Agriculture in a press release. .
This level of risk requires the “shelter of all poultry”, recalls the ministry. It specifies that recalcitrant breeders will not be able to claim full compensation from the State in the event of a stamping-out. The main poultry production regions – Brittany, Pays de la Loire, as well as the Deux-Sèvres department – had already had to be confined since mid-October, much to the chagrin of the Confédération paysanne union, which fears “the death of the full breeding air”.
Source: BFM TV
