the essential
TRUE BUT… According to the Federation of Commerce and Distribution, the sale of foie gras in France increased by 31.1% from December 21 to 28. A figure to be taken with a grain of salt for Lot producers who have seen their sales increase slightly but are barely getting their heads above water and remain on alert.
This is good news for producers. But not enough to jump to the ceiling. According to a study carried out by the Federation of Commerce and Distribution, 31.1% more foie gras was sold from December 21 to 28, 2024 compared to the same period, a year earlier. Consumption data collected in hypermarkets, supermarkets, e-commerce and convenience stores. If he had to summarize the situation, Pierre-Olivier Prévot, director of the La Quercynoise cooperative, of the Capel group, would rather say: “We are happy, but be careful, we remain cautious.” This increase of more than 30% must be contextualized but above all taken with a pinch of salt. “This is a misleading figure because we are comparing it with a year where volumes were absent, therefore a historically low year in terms of sales,” he wants to point out.
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And to remind: “Overall, production has fallen by 30% compared to 2015 and slaughterhouses continue to close in several departments. The impacts of several years of avian influenza are major, we are in a sector in full industrial restructuring” . It's difficult to rejoice in this context. However, La Quercynoise still records an increase of almost 15% compared to 2023. “We have increased our volumes and prices have literally fallen, it's still a real satisfaction, we are very happy with the campaign “, points out the director of the structure which brings together nearly 160 foie gras producers. It must also be said that since this fall, no outbreak of avian flu has been detected in the Lot, giving farmers a little respite. “Moreover, the vaccination of waterflies seems to be bearing fruit since several outbreaks have been identified in France but none have spread,” he adds.
Thanks to vaccination?
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In Coeur-de-Causse, Emmanuelle Larcher has been vaccinating her ducks for more than a year. A long-term but profitable job. “We catch them twice to vaccinate them and on top of that, we take five samples per week, as part of passive surveillance, for the laboratories. Finally, since the vaccination campaign, on October 1, 2023, the veterinary services come to take samples every three weeks. It’s restrictive and expensive but we’ve gotten used to it,” she explains. In her traditional farm-inn, she raises, fattens and processes more than 10,000 ducks every year as a family. This winter, it saw its sales simmer slightly: almost 5% better than in 2023. “In terms of volume, we are stable. On the other hand, we made fewer shipments than in other years,” notes She. Morale is still better, especially since the “sword of Damocles” has moved away a little. Customers are half reassured by vaccination. Some see it as a guarantee of quality, others are afraid of the risks. “However, a vaccinated duck does not represent any danger when it is consumed. The booster is carried out at 22 days, they are killed at 16 weeks,” points out the farmer.
The future for the sector is impossible to predict. “Production is doing too much yo-yoing. Both on volumes and on consumption. How will these two elements adjust? What will be the state of the stocks of the different producers on January 1st”, asks Pierre -Olivier Prévot from La Quercynoise. Fragile equation.
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