First case of avian flu in breeding since the beginning of winter

An outbreak of bird flu has been detected in a duck farm in the Landes, the first of the winter in this department, a major producer of foie gras, according to a prefectural decree published on Saturday evening.

The outbreak is located in Cagnotte, south of Dax, outside the perimeter of crawl space which had been set up between December 15 and January 15 in the 68 municipalities of the South-West, mainly Landes, where the density in breeding waterfowl is particularly important. A “strong suspicion” of avian influenza was also noted in another Landes duck farm, in Saint-Sever, in the east of the department, according to the prefecture.

3.3 million animals slaughtered in France

France had 283 cases of avian flu in poultry farming on January 19, mainly in the west of the country (Pays-de-la-Loire region), according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Between August 1 and December 21, 3.3 million animals were slaughtered in France because of this epizootic, half of which were ducks. The previous wave, between the end of November 2021 and mid-May 2022, had led to the euthanasia of more than 20 million poultry in France.

Avian flu affects the whole of Europe: between October 2021 and September 2022, more than 50 million birds were euthanized on infected farms alone, not counting the preventive slaughter of healthy animals around outbreaks, according to European health authorities .

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