At the end of 2024, an outbreak of avian influenza “highly pathogenic” was detected in a domestic poultry farm located west of the Eure, in La Poterie-Mathieu. Not far from the Calvados department. Its presence was confirmed by analyses, the results of which were made public by the prefecture on Friday December 27.
This has set up two regulated zones (protection and surveillance) around the avian flu outbreak, in order to avoid any risk of spreading the virus to other farms.
Read also: Avian flu: risk raised from “moderate” to “high” in France, higher level of vigilance
The municipalities concerned
Here is the list of the 8 municipalities found in protection zones: Épaignes, Lieurey, La Noë-Poulain, La Poterie-Mathieu, Saint-Etienne-l'Allier, Saint-Georges-du-Vièvre, Saint-Siméon and Selles.
The 46 municipalities located in the surveillance zone: Appeville-Annebault, Asnières, Bailleul-la-Vallée, Bazoques, Le Bois-Hellain, Boissy-Lamberville, Brétigny, Campigny, La Chapelle-Bayvel, Condé-sur-Risle, Cormeilles, Corneville-sur-Risle, Épreville-en- Lieuvin, Le Favril, Folleville, Fort-Moville, Freneuse-sur-Risle, Fresne-Cauverville, Giberville, Heudreville-en-Lieuvin, Livet-sur-Authou, Manneville-sur-Risle, Martainville, Morainville-Jouveaux, Morsan, Neuville-sur-Authou, Noards, Notre-Dame-d'Épine, Pont- Audemer, Les Préaux, Saint-Aubin-de-Scellon, Saint-Benoît-des-Ombres, Saint-Christophe-sur-Condé, Le Mesnil-Saint-Jean, Saint-Grégoire-du-Vièvre, Saint-Martin-Saint-Firmin, Saint-Philbert-sur-Risles, Saint-Pierre-de-Cormeilles, Saint-Pierre -des-Ifs, Saint-Sylvestre-de-Cormeilles, Saint-Symphorien, Saint-Victor-d’Epine, Tourville-sur-Pont-Audemer, Toutainville, Triqueville and Vannecrocq.
Poultry and birds must no longer go out
Within the perimeter of these zones, the State representative requests that poultry and captive birds be “sheltered” and that their food and water are protected.
Access to establishments is “limited only to people essential to the running of the breeding”. These must limit the risk of spreading the disease by using single-use protective clothing. In the event of a visit to a “suspicious” establishment, “shower, change of clothes and boot cleaning” are also required.
Vehicles must be cleaned and disinfected “at entry and exit” of all poultry establishments “such as farms, hatcheries, slaughterhouses, warehouses or animal by-product companies, rendering plants, food distributors and manufacturers, egg packaging centers or egg product producers”.
Poultry corpses
In a decree dated December 27, the prefecture also establishes the rules to follow with regard to poultry corpses: they must be “stored in containers and collected by the renderer”.
All owners of poultry and captive birds, after having declared themselves to the town hall, must undergo veterinary visits during which the health state of the animals will be checked and samples will be taken. “Any appearance of clinical signs suggestive of avian influenza or any increase in mortality” must be “immediately reported”.
Regarding gatherings of poultry and other captive birds, such as fairs, markets and exhibitions, they are prohibited in protection and surveillance zones.
Lifting of restrictions
The protection zone will be lifted no earlier than 21 days after the slaughter of the animals and the end of the cleaning and disinfection operations of the last outbreak in the protection zone. However, there must be no suspicion of avian influenza. The deadline is 30 days at the earliest for the surveillance zone.
The virus circulates in wild birds
Twenty-six European countries have detected the presence of the avian influenza virus on their territory since 1is August 2024, according to a bulletin from the French Platform for Epidemiological Surveillance in Animal Health. The virus is still circulating among wild birds in Europe, particularly in migration corridors, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
A first serious case of avian flu was also detected in humans in the United States on December 18, American health authorities announced.
The epizootic – the equivalent of an epidemic in animals -, which rages from the Americas to Australia, affected France from 2015 to 2017, then almost continuously since the end of 2020.
