Avian flu: nearly 1.3 million poultry slaughtered in four months

Nearly 1.3 million poultry have been slaughtered since August 1 to stem the resurgence of avian flu in French farms, particularly in western France, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

This report testifies to a sharp acceleration of the avian influenza epizootic a few weeks before New Year's Eve: the latest figures communicated by the ministry to AFP on November 10 reported more than 770,000 slaughterings. .

In the meantime, the number of outbreaks discovered in farms has almost doubled, to 91 cases, including 26 in Vendée, 11 in Deux-Sèvres and 9 in Maine-et-Loire.

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In a press release published upstream, the minority unions Confédération paysanne and Modef ask the State to subsidize breeders so that they stop welcoming new chicks or ducklings in the most affected sectors.

They cite in particular “

”.

"

", according to them.

This stop would reduce the number of chickens, turkeys and ducks present at the same time on a territory.

Animals reaching the end of their cycle could go to the slaughterhouse to be eaten, but would not be replaced.

Read alsoAvian flu: two unions ask for help to leave farms empty

The previous outbreak of the virus in French farms (end of November 2021 - mid-May 2022) had led to the slaughter, including preventive, of 21 million chickens, ducks and laying hens.

A level never seen before.

Even before the resumption of the epizootic during the summer, the State planned to pay out more than a billion euros to compensate the losses of professionals.

In Europe, 26 countries have detected the virus on their soil.

The production of poultry meat and eggs suffers, and prices soar.