Prudence and precaution, but no avian flu epidemic in the Nièvre for the moment. The Nièvre prefecture proceeded in two stages to define a temporary control zone.
The first decision taken shortly before mid-January concerned eighteen municipalities in southern Nivernais after a barnacle goose carrying the virus was discovered on January 9 in Saint-Martin-des Lais, in northern Allier.
Fifty-three Nivernaise municipalities concerned
The discovery of a swan found dead on January 20 in Decize led the prefect of Nièvre to extend the temporary control zone to fifty-three municipalities (our edition of Wednesday January 25), in a triangle from Cercy-la Tour to Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier and Saint-Benin-d’Azy.
The technicians of the Health, Animal Protection and Environment department of the DSPP have “not been aware since then of any new confirmed case of avian influenza, neither on specimens of wild fauna, nor in one of the farms located in the zone of extended temporary control”.
Twenty-five farms under enhanced surveillance
Within the perimeter of the fifty-three Nivernaise municipalities in the area, twenty-five poultry farms are affected by this enhanced surveillance and biosecurity measures (sheltering). “The farms of more than a thousand laying hens must be seen each year”, specify the services of the State.
“The economic repercussions are very important for breeders”, note the technicians. Even if the Nièvre has “a relatively low density of poultry farms compared to other places, especially in the far west of France”.
Municipalities in the surveillance zone.
Anlezy, Avril-sur-Loire, Azy-le-Vif, Béard, Beaumont-Sardolles, Billy-Chevannes, Cercy-la-Tour, Champvert, Charrin, Chevenon, Cizely, Cossaye, Decize, Devay, Diennes-Aubigny, Dornes, Druy-Parigny, La Fermeté, Fertrève, Fleury-sur-Loire, Fours, Frasnay-Reugny, Imphy, Isenay, Lamenay-sur-Loire, Limon, Lucenay-lès-Aix, Luthenay-Uxeloup, La Machine, Montambert, Montaron, Montigny-sur-Canne, Neuville-lès-Decize, La Nocle-Maulaix, Saint-Benin-d’Azy, Saint-Germain-Chassenay, Saint-Gratien-Savigny, Saint-Hilaire-Fontaine, Saint-Jean-aux-Amognes , Saint-Léger-des-Vignes, Saint-Ouen-sur-Loire, Saint-Parize-en-Viry, Saint-Parize-le-Châtel, Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier, Sougy-sur-Loire, Thaix, Thianges , Tintury, Toury-Lurcy, Toury-sur-Jour, Trois-Vèvres, Verneuil and Ville-Langy.
Jean-Christophe Henriet