The highly contagious disease had already been detected in a poultry farm on December 27 in Eure. It was also observed on a farm in Calvados on December 28. All animals must be slaughtered. Surrounding farms must now be confined to prevent the spread of this virus.
The essentials of the day: our exclusive selection
Every day, our editorial team reserves the best regional news for you. A selection just for you, to stay in touch with your regions.
France Télévisions uses your email address to send you the newsletter “The essentials of the day: our exclusive selection”. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link at the bottom of this newsletter. Our privacy policy
On the eve of Christmas, France congratulated itself on having recovered “its unharmed status” for the entire national territory “in the absence of a new home for more than a month”which should facilitate poultry exports. The respite was short-lived.
In the space of two days, two outbreaks of avian influenza were detected in Normandy. The first, spotted on December 27, concerns “a domestic poultry farm” located in La Poterie-Mathieu near Pont-Audemer in Eure. The second affects a farm located a few kilometers away, in the Calvados department.
In a press release, the Ministry of Agriculture indicates that “depopulation measures” of the two sites and their “cleaning and disinfestation by a specialized company” were taken by the prefectures. In other words, all beasts must be eliminated. On Saturday, the mayor of La Poterie-Mathieu confirmed this to us: “I know the breeder is devastated…They are slaughtering his entire breeding stock.”
In addition to the slaughter, the authorities demarcate a protection zone within a radius of 3 kilometers and a surveillance zone between 3 and 10 kilometers. Within this regulated area, poultry must be confined. The Eure prefecture emphasizes that “only people essential to maintaining the breeding” are authorized to enter establishments where poultry are located, in order to “to limit the risk of spreading the disease”.
Sheltering farmed poultry must in fact avoid contact with wild birds which carry this very contagious virus. The epizootic risk is maintained at “its maximum level”, particularly in migration corridors. The Ministry of Agriculture insists that “the consumption of meat, foie gras and eggs does not present any risk to human health”.
- -
