Bird flu alert in France

France has raised its risk level to "high" following the detection of new bird flu cases. It was reported that the Ministry of Agriculture has instructed poultry farms to keep birds indoors and take additional measures to prevent the spread of the disease.

Bird flu has led to the culling of hundreds of millions of birds worldwide in recent years. The disease, which typically emerges during the autumn and winter months, has begun to spread in several European countries in recent weeks, including Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

France announced last week that it had detected its first bird flu outbreak of the season at a farm in Brittany, in the northwest of the country. The "high risk" level means that all poultry must be kept on farms and additional security measures must be taken to prevent the spread of the disease.

LIMITED VACCINATION CAMPAIGN

Although bird flu is harmless in food, its spread is a cause for concern for governments and the poultry industry due to the devastation it can cause to flocks, the possibility of trade restrictions, and the risk of transmission to humans. In early October, France launched a vaccination campaign to combat the disease, initially limited to ducks, which can easily transmit the virus without showing symptoms.

12.5 BILLION EUROS IN EXPORTS

The bird flu outbreak represents a significant blow to France's poultry industry. The country is one of the world's largest poultry producers and recorded 12.5 billion euros in exports in 2022.

News Source: 12punto