A little over a kilometer from GAEC Jarry in Moncoutant-sur-Sèvre is a breeding goose farm. “These are grandparents. It is a very sensitive breeding because there are only two in France. We are therefore part of the depopulation zone to protect these breedings and that the sector can leave behind “, explains Amélie Belaud. Except that for now slaughtering her healthy animals is for her “inconceivable”.
More than 250 farms are affected by the depopulation measures taken in Deux-Sèvres to deal with the epidemic of Avian Flu. Amélie Belaud, who has been raising laying hens for more than three years, says “To fully understand the concerns of the State and the Ministry of Agriculture”but pleads for less restrictive alternatives. “Perhaps do tests on our hens regularly to be sure that they are healthy”, she slips. In total, 1,183,863 poultry were slaughtered in the department on April 26, sick animals and preventive slaughter combined.
I don’t intend to let them go if we don’t have insurance for our indemnities
The problem, she explains, is uncertainty around compensation. “The 100% indemnities are taken over 150 days. Afterwards, we go to 50%. Except that we risk being empty for a year because when the hens arrive they are 5 months old. That going to take time for everyone to recover. And us, if it goes to 50%, we can’t live when we have a very heavy investment”. 1.2 million euros were needed to build the building for the laying hens.
I can’t see myself without working
“We follow a very strict biosecurity protocol so as not to endanger the other farm”, also recalls Amélie Belaud. Disinfection of egg trucks, food at the entrance to the site, disinfection, hens confined since November… The deadline for slaughter is fixed at April 30. “Since the pressure drops to the level of avian flu, we hope to keep them”, she says. The Deux-Sévrien breeder also highlights the psychological impact. “I love what I do. I can’t see myself without working”.
Almost 40 years old, Amélie Belaud recounts living day to day even if the issue of the future. “There are tests on vaccines on ducks that should be done. Ducks and turkeys are enough vectors of the disease. Afterwards, shouldn’t we review the layout of the buildings, should all Shouldn’t the breeding animals that hold a line be put in another sector? I don’t know, I don’t have a solution”she concludes dreading to spend the next winter “the lump in the stomach“.