It had to happen eventually. A first official case of highly pathogenic avian flu was identified on Tuesday in a duck farm in the town of Machecoul-Saint-Même, south of Loire-Atlantique, the prefecture announced on Friday. As a precaution, the 5,000 ducks on the site were slaughtered at the request of the veterinary services. “The breeder will be compensated for the losses suffered”, indicates the State.
To avoid any risk of spreading the virus to other farms, regulated zones called “protection (ZP) and surveillance (ZS)” are set up within a radius of 3 and 10 km around Machecoul. Transport of poultry is prohibited in these areas. Similar measures have been taken in farms bordering Maine-et-Loire where avian influenza has also been detected.
Not transmissible to humans
Avian flu had already been detected in Loire-Atlantique, last February, on a wild bird found dead in the town of Frossay. But no farm had, until then, been officially affected, unlike the departments of Vendée and Maine-et-Loire. Avian flu mainly affects the coast of Normandy and the Atlantic coast.
As a reminder, this virus is not transmissible to humans, neither by contact with birds, nor by consumption of poultry meat or eggs. However, the disease has serious economic consequences for farmers.