Cold shower for breeders.
An outbreak of avian flu has been confirmed in a farm located in Manciet, in the Gers.
This is the first confirmed outbreak in the south-west of France, a region which concentrates a large number of palmiped farms.
Arrested by abnormal deaths of his animals, the breeder had given the alert, urging the authorities to carry out analyzes on Wednesday.
According to France Bleu, as a safety measure, all the animals were slaughtered even before obtaining the final results from the national reference laboratory.
Read also Avian influenza: new outbreak in a breeding farm in the North, slaughtered animals
France has around 20,000 poultry farms raised for meat, eggs or foie gras. All were confined on the decision of the authorities to avoid the devastation known last year due to avian influenza. But five French farms in northern France have nevertheless been infected over the past two weeks. In each case in breeding, the animals are slaughtered. Last year, 3.5 million poultry had to be slaughtered as a preventive measure, mainly palmipeds.
Faced with the first cases in its department this fall, the prefecture of the North had thus taken health protection measures: in a "
surveillance zone
" of 10 km around the outbreaks, veterinary visits and samples are now carried out and the hunting of animals. waterfowl and game birds is prohibited.
Sling against containment
Breeders are now gripped with the demand to avoid the spread of the flu - which last year had spread at the same time of year - and the wish to allow their animals to live outside. Eight organizations defending this type of breeding have also lodged an appeal with the Council of State to request the emergency suspension of the orders requiring the isolation of poultry.
“
We have said repeatedly that locking up animals from free-range farms would not prevent the epidemic, which it is.
The risk of the virus spreading in barns has been proven and known for a long time.
Making outdoor breeding responsible and culpable only serves the interests of those who wish to industrialize agriculture,
”argued in a press release published last week, the agricultural unions Confédération paysanne and Modef.
Read also Foie gras, turkeys and capons at the Christmas meeting despite the avian flu
From the first case in breeding, France had lost its “
free
”
status
from avian influenza that it had just regained on September 2.
Markets then close automatically (South Africa, China, Korea, Cuba, Madagascar, the Philippines, etc.), for example hampering the marketing of day-old chicks and ducklings - sold to be reared there - or parts of them. animals not consumed in France, such as duck legs and tongues or rooster ridges.
