The first outbreak of avian flu in Haute-Garonne has just been detected in a farmyard in the town of Escanecrabe, south of Toulouse. Since November, France has been facing a new episode of highly pathogenic avian influenza. “More than fifty outbreaks have been confirmed in France and in the southwest area in farms in Gers, Landes, Pyrénées-Atlantiques. They testify to an active circulation of the virus ”, thus indicates the prefecture of Haute-Garonne.
As part of this outbreak, the authorities have set up a 3 km protection zone around the site as well as a 10 km surveillance zone “to prevent any risk of dissemination”. An area which also impacts three municipalities in the Gers, riverside department.
Over 500,000 poultry slaughtered this year
According to Julien Denormandie, the Minister of Agriculture, the situation remains better than that of last winter, when the epizootic was at the origin of nearly 500 outbreaks in breeding leading to the slaughter of more than three million poultry, mostly ducks.
The ministry estimated on December 31 that between 600,000 and 650,000 poultry had been slaughtered since the start of this winter episode.