After the elimination of poultry on a farm in Calvados, the farm in Houssaye (Eure), already impacted by avian flu with the slaughter of its chickens, saw its ducks eliminated on Tuesday, December 31.
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This is another hard blow which Donatien Lavigne, farm manager of the Houssaye farm in Epaignes (Eure), would have gotten by well.
After the slaughter on December 28 of his chickens and guinea fowl contaminated with avian flu, the breeder was also forced to eliminate his ducks on Tuesday, December 31, which were also infected.
With a clear voice but heavy words, Donatien Lavigne helplessly witnesses the ravages of avian flu on his farm.
“After a while, we have to swallow the pill, we have no choice. But it hurts, we lose motivation over time”
Donatien Lavigne, manager of the La Houssaye farm (Eure) impacted by avian flu
In one week, the breeder saw the entire poultry part of his farm disappear due to avian flu. A sudden nightmare that he still has difficulty realizing.
“It started on December 26. On my site at Poterie-Mathieu (Eure), I found some of my chickens dead and I raised the alarm directly. Tests were carried out and the next day I was confirmed that my animals were contaminated, and then on the 28th they were slaughtered. For the ducks it was the same: on December 29 we took samples, as a precaution, and on the 31st they were eliminated.“
In total, Donatien Lavigne lost 15,000 chickens, 8,000 guinea fowl and 8,000 ducks across his entire farm. Significant numbers which above all represent the sudden disappearance of weeks of hard work.
“ These are months of work gone up in smoke but hey, we are already thinking about what comes next so as not to let ourselves go. But it's very hard, especially because our ducks were vaccinated. They were not sick but nevertheless remained carriers of the virus ” he confides.
With a financial loss estimated at two million euros for the poultry part of his operation, the breeder is already considering sourcing waterfowl from other farms to keep his slaughtering and processing activity afloat for the next few years. weeks.
Donatien's situation is also feared by other breeders in the area: https://twitter.com/Prefet27/status/1873818093816078520/photo/1 Among them, 8 are located within a three-kilometer radius of the cluster: La Poterie-Mathieu, Epaignes, Lieurey, La Noë-Poulain, Saint-Etienne-L'Allier, Saint-Georges-du-Vièvre, Saint-Siméon and Selles. THE 46 others are located within a radius of 3 to 10 kilometers nearby.
A fear which also weighs on Calvados breeders after the contamination of a farm at the end of December.
If financial compensation is possible for farmers whose animals have been eliminated, Donatien Lavigne nevertheless emphasizes that they cannot compensate for all the economic losses. “This aid focuses on expenses related to animals, but does not take into account other external expenses such as building maintenance, etc..”
But the breeder nevertheless recognizes it: despite the loss of his poultry, vaccination remains a good asset. “My ducks were vaccinated but were still carriers. It's really frustrating because the vaccine doesn't prevent everything but it still greatly limits contamination in France..”
