2023-07-17 20:25:37
The Ministry of Agriculture announced Monday measures to limit the risk of spreading avian influenza while preparing the vaccination campaign and accelerating the compensation of breeders.
Up to 80 million doses of avian flu vaccine – two per animal – must be injected into ducks from October on “all commercial farms”, the ministry said, naming both “Mulard ducks” (raised for foie gras) than “Barbary” or “Beijing”, throughout mainland France, Corsica excluded.
Vaccination is “prohibited” in breeding duck farms for all those whose production is intended for export in order “not to block certain commercial flows”. Conversely, for establishments targeting “exclusively national trade”, voluntary work will continue to apply.
The ministry has planned to bear 85 percent of the cost of the vaccination campaign, according to a statement.
He intends to “gradually reduce the density of ducks in farms” to “limit the risk of the appearance of a new epizootic wave” in 45 municipalities “the most densely populated in palmipeds”, in the Pays-de-la-Loire region. and the department of Deux-Sèvres (New-Aquitaine).
From July, the introduction of new ducks on these sites should gradually be limited to vaccinated animals. And from October, all specimens will have to be. “Around forty” other sites “strategic for avian genetics” are also targeted.
Advances for affected breeders
The losses caused by the breeders will be “taken into account” by the ministry, it is specified in the press release. To “complete the compensation system”, the ministry also announces that advances will be available from Friday for affected breeders, “up to 50% maximum of the estimated losses”.
In addition, in autumn 2023, subject to validation by the European Commission, compensation for all “losses of gross operating surplus” linked to the avian influenza epizootic “as soon as this loss is greater than 20%” for operators. A revaluation of the compensation scales has also been announced.
During the 2022-23 season, some 10 million poultry were slaughtered, according to a report from the Ministry of Agriculture published at the end of June. Avian flu has not completely disappeared from France, however: some 17,500 turkeys were slaughtered in early July after an outbreak was declared on a farm in Airon-Notre-Dame (Pas-de-Calais). France has been at a “negligible” risk level since July 2023.
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