breeders deplore a carnage

Trying to hold on in the face of a colossal loss. Thierry Lumineau, poultry farmer in Vendée, saw his 13,000 turkeys decimated in just a few days, affected by the worst episode of avian flu that France and Europe have ever known. “You lose three months of work, you lose your animals. It’s the living that is dying“, laments Thierry Lumineau, who admits to having “never seen that“.

In an attempt to eradicate the virus, the authorities have decided to put in place drastic measures. In Vendée, more than 500 farms had to undergo unprecedented depopulation operations. A total of 14 million poultry have been slaughtered in France since November. And if the Vendée is so far the most affected department, the concerns are now focused on Brittany, the first region of chicken production. A third outbreak has just been discovered in Ille-et-Vilaine, and nearly 90,000 animals will be slaughtered.