France to slaughter millions of poultry after bird flu hits the West

France will slaughter several million poultry in the second mass slaughter of flocks this winter, the French Agriculture Ministry said, as the country tries to contain an outbreak of bird flu.

After an increase in cases in the southwest led to the culling of about 4 million livestock, the ministry said the disease has spread rapidly since last month in the Pays de la Loire, another large poultry area on France’s west coast. .

A ministry official said that the authorities have culled 1.2 million birds in the region so far and plan to cull another 3 million using the same strategy used in the southwest by emptying poultry farms in areas close to the outbreak.

Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, is most often transmitted by wild birds in the fall and winter. The highly contagious H5N1 strain has spread rapidly in Europe in recent months, causing mass eradication in many countries. Read more

Avian influenza cannot be transmitted to humans through consumption of poultry products, although there have been occasional cases of humans contracting strains of the disease. Read more

The Pays de la Loire region is a major supplier of chicks, as authorities will grant an exemption to allow farms in vulnerable areas to continue supplying the rest of the country, particularly the southwest which is preparing to resume spawning. After flying. The ministry added that the influenza insurance.

The outbreak of bird flu has put increased pressure on poultry farmers who face rising feed costs due to higher grain prices, in part related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

France and the European Union promised to provide special assistance to the livestock sectors.

Information from Jose Trombes; Edited by Alison Williams

Our criteria: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.