The preventive slaughter of waterfowl has been extended to 685 municipalities, in order to stem the epizootic affecting the South-West.
There will soon not be many waterfowl left in France… For the tenth time, the authorities have adopted a stopped in order to extend the area of preventive culling of farms and wild bird populations at risk of developing the H5N8 flu.
To stem the bird flu epizootic in the South West, the preventive slaughter zone for ducks and geese has been extended to 685 municipalities in total. The decree was published this Thursday in the Official Journal. According to a count made by AFP, 76 additional municipalities have been added to the list compared to the previous week.
Pyrenees-Atlantiques
Almost all of the localities added are located in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, where preventive felling now affects 204 municipalities. The Landes department, the leading producer of foie gras, remains the most affected (267 municipalities). The slaughter area has not been modified in Gers (161 municipalities), Hautes-Pyrénées (48 municipalities) and Haute-Garonne (5 municipalities).
The H5N8 virus has been spreading since the end of November among wild birds and among waterfowl farms in the Southwest. On March 14, 410 infectious outbreaks were identified in farms, mostly in the Landes, and 49 cases in wildlife.
On January 4, France launched a policy of massive and preventive slaughter of waterfowl in the area in an attempt to stem this epizootic. It was introduced by migrating birds and its transmission is linked to the movement of animals from one farm to another.
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