“We manage to live with a high risk”: faced with the return of avian flu in France, the Gers remains confident

After several weeks of dead calm on the avian flu front, French breeders are seeing the epizootic resurface. Two cases have been confirmed in recent days, on December 27 in Eure and December 28 on a farm in Calvados.

This situation leads to the loss of the “free status” obtained by France shortly before Christmas, no outbreak having been reported until then for more than a month on the national territory. This status was intended in particular to facilitate exports of poultry. “In the South-West part we are quite calm, we have quite few poultry going for export. That doesn't change much”, reassures Bernard Malabirade, president of the Gers Chamber of Agriculture. “After 28 days, the status can return to disease-free if there are no new cases,” he continues optimistically.

President of the Gers Association for the Promotion of Foie Gras and Poultry Farming (AGPFGA), Benjamin Constant is also measured regarding the impact of this loss of status. “Of course this has implications for hatcheries, genetics and companies that could market in other countries. But today, given the different episodes that we have experienced, I know that there are over-the-counter agreements with certain countries, to be able to continue to market and regionalize also with regard to these risks of avian influenza”, he observes.

“We see what is happening in the United States”

It must be said that the tone has changed within the sector since the launch of the first vaccination campaign, in October 2023, with a second campaign being underway. Concern and despondency gradually gave way to confidence and enthusiasm, despite the persistence of the epizootic. “It's not funny, it doesn't amuse anyone what's happening, but we have to recognize to be a little positive that we manage to live with it, thanks to vaccination in the duck sector which is extremely sensitive. is a very good thing, with notable financial support for the vaccination part. I still want to salute all the progress that has been made. It is progress that we have achieved with real determination from the start. very complicated. We manage to live with one. high risk, it’s still good for our farms,” says Bernard Malabirade.

Himself a producer of foie gras, Benjamin Constant adds: “Mentally and humanly, it is more pleasant even if zero risk does not exist and avian influenza is circulating in the European Union.” However, there is no question of declaring victory. The past is still very much remembered. “With the measures that are in place, zero risk does not exist but we must contain all of this as we did in the Landes in November,” underlines the president of the AGPFGA. “We also see what is happening in the United States, with a virus that has circulated in several different species,” adds Bernard Malabirade, convinced despite everything of the improvement in the situation. “It is a risk of a pandemic that we are trying to control. We are also in a public health approach which is not negligible. Everyone is aware of it today but we still manage to continue to produce and That’s great.”