Professionals must also “keep animals sheltered” to avoid the risk of contact with wild birds which may be infected.
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France has just passed Tuesday December 5 in level “maximum” of epizootic risk due to the presence of avian influenza in several outbreaks in breeding and in migratory birds. However, professionals in the sector want to be reassuring: the duck vaccination campaign started on October 1 is “an additional rampart” compared to a difficult year 2022, Marie-Pierre Pé, director of the Interprofessional Committee for Foie Gras Palmipeds (Cifog), explains to franceinfo.
This leveling “maximum”was “expected since there has been the appearance of cases on French territory”, specifies Marie-Pierre Pé. Infected wild birds have actually been found in the Meuse, Camargue and Morbihan. An outbreak has been detected in Brittany, and there are suspicions of outbreaks in Gers and Lot-et-Garonne. “We are now used to having to act when there are cases in the territory”, she reassures. Professionals must therefore “redouble our vigilance regarding biosecurity rules” And “keep animals safe” to avoid the risk of contact with wild birds which may be infected, in particular the droppings where the virus is found.
Vaccination is obligatory on farms with more than 250 heads
In 2022, 22 million poultry were slaughtered to deal with the epidemic. But this year, “we have started vaccinating ducks since October 1” and compulsory in farms of more than 250 heads, greets the director of Cifog, and today “almost all the ducks are vaccinated and no longer excrete virus.” According to Marie-Pierre Pé, vaccination is “an additional barrier compared to last year, which should allow us to fight against the spread of the virus and its spread on French territory.”
“Of course, we always remain cautious because experience has shown us that this virus is always devious and that it harms us every year. But honestly, we have confidence because we have an additional tool to fight against a spread of the virus and we hope that this will be enough to avoid a new epizootic”she explains.
