Everyboy inside. While the avian flu epidemic restarted very early this summer, poultry raised in the open air will have to be confined to Brittany and the Pays-de-la-Loire. In these two major production regions, as well as in the Deux-Sèvres department, “sheltering is compulsory and regular tests in breeding and before any movement are put in place”, indicates the Ministry of Agriculture. in a press release.
The “installation” of poultry, the moment when breeders welcome chicks or ducklings on their farms, “will be conditional on the completion of a favorable biosecurity audit”. If breeders do not respect these new rules, their compensation may be reduced, specifies the ministry.
More than 300,000 poultry slaughtered since August 1
At the national level, breeders had already had to shelter their poultry since the end of September in areas located on the migration corridors of wild birds. After a catastrophic 2021-2022 season (more than 21 million poultry slaughtered between the end of November and mid-May), the virus started to hit French farms again from the end of July, exceptionally early. However, the risk of contamination increases in autumn, thanks to the drop in temperatures and the migration of wild birds to the south.
According to an official count started on August 1, 25 farms were affected in 12 departments, including 17 in the Brittany and Pays-de-la-Loire regions. The ministry said last week that more than 300,000 poultry had already had to be euthanized.