The most severe episode of bird flu that France has ever known has already decimated ten million animals. The Ukrainian conflict is driving up the price of food and energy. The profession sees only one solution: to sell the meat 20 to 25% more expensive.
Article written by
Published
Update
Reading time : 1 min.
The most striking for 15 days in the poultry farm of Thierry Lumineau in The Flocelliere (Vendée), it is silence: “The absence of noise… Hearing turkeys gurgling or little chickens, we’ll miss it soon enough.” The bird flu episode – the worst France has ever known – killed more than 10,000 animals on his now empty farm. The Vendée is the most affected department with 450 contaminated farms, in almost four months, out of a total of a thousand.
The breeder must now restore everything: “Washing, disinfection, we spend all our time there because we go to the toothbrush to clean. The goal today is to be able to leave as quickly as possible.”
“What is important is that consumers continue to trust our French products.”
Thierry Lumineau, poultry farmer in Vendéeat franceinfo
“When we have the order form after us, we work accordingly. It’s the only way to help us”, defends Thierry Lumineau. Nationally, the bar of ten million animals slaughtered since the end of November was crossed on Wednesday March 23.
An epidemic of bird flu to which is added an extraordinary jump in production costs, according to Jean-Michel Schaeffer, president of the poultry interprofession: “We must at least increase the price of the final product by 20 to 25% to cover the costs of food which are increasing, gas and electricity which are increasing. These are increases that we have never seen in our history.” After a 5% increase in one year, the price of poultry is once again on the table with the reopening of trade negotiations between suppliers and distributors.
Poultry will soon be more expensive: report by Sophie Auvigne
to listen