“high” level of risk in France, leading to the confinement of poultry

According to a decree published Friday November 8 at Official Journalthe level of risk linked to avian flu on French metropolitan territory will be raised on Saturday by ” moderate ” has ” pupil “the highest level, leading to the confinement of poultry. The decision has been made “considering the strong and persistent dynamics of infection in migration corridors and the spread of the virus by these migratory birds passing through mainland French territory”. That “aims to strengthen surveillance and prevention measures”details the text, which comes into force “the day after its publication”i.e. Saturday.

In a joint press release, the minority agricultural unions Confédération paysanne and Modef denounce “the obligation to confine all poultry”according to them “incomprehensible”. “The same rules have applied every winter for several years, without having proven their effectiveness. How can we still lock ourselves in this denial of reality?, ask organizations.

The epizootic risk to which poultry and other captive birds are exposed in the event of infection of wild birds with a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) is classified into three categories, “negligible”, ” moderate “ et ” pupil “. In case of risk ” pupil “poultry are notably “sheltered, and their feeding and watering protected” in farms with more than 50 birds. Poultry and birds are “confined or protected by nets” in the smallest.

In Europe, the avian influenza virus has been detected in 24 countries, and the number of outbreaks is increasing, especially in Hungary, according to the latest weekly bulletin from the French animal health epidemiological surveillance platform. The bulletin identifies “a strong infection dynamic present since the end of September and increasing in wild birds”. In France, in total, “six poultry outbreaks, two captive bird outbreaks and ten wild cases” have been identified since the start of the season.

The avian flu epidemic, which rages from the Americas to Australia, affected France from 2015 to 2017, then almost continuously since the end of 2020. The country has euthanized tens of millions of poultry in recent years. The economic losses amount to billions of euros. To break this spiral, the government has made vaccination compulsory since the fall of 2023 in farms of more than 250 ducks (excluding breeding ducks) at the end of 2023. Professionals expect the State to maintain its participation – for the majority time – to financing vaccination.