Illustration of an outdoor duck farm.

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MEIGNEUX ROMUALD / SIPA

  • On Thursday, authorities asked breeders in 46 departments to confine their poultry in order to avoid contamination by bird flu, which emerged last week in the Netherlands.

  • This is double the penalty for palmiped breeders who must organize themselves to sell their products while containment linked to the coronavirus has been in force for more than a week.

  • The inter-professional organization is setting up promotional offers and small packaging formats if the holidays have to be held in small groups because of the health crisis.

"The only thing missing was that when it is in November and December that I make 70% of my turnover", confides Pierre Lava, producer of foie gras at the Ferme d'en Siguès in the Gers village of Aubiet.

If this small producer does not currently have an outdoor duck, the threat of an avian virus and the confinement linked to the coronavirus complicate its activity within two months of the end of the year holidays.

On Thursday, the authorities asked breeders in 46 French departments, including the Gers, to confine their poultry, in order to avoid contamination with avian flu by migratory birds.

A situation that would become nightmarish for these breeders already affected by avian influenza in the winter of 2015-2016 and 2016-2017, costing the industry hundreds of millions.

Fear of a drop in activity

“Since the end of August, we have had special vigilance on avian flu in view of the situation in Russia and Kazakhstan because we knew that there was a risk,” underlines Marie-Pierre Pé, director of the Cifog inter-branch.

The alert in the Netherlands last week brings back bad memories, but our professionals are now better trained and armed than four years ago.

The breeders have implemented biosecurity measures and have invested in protected buildings ”.

Since Thursday, poultry, ducks and palmipeds must remain inside farms so as not to be in contact with migratory birds, possible carriers of the disease.

A health precaution that adds to the constraints linked to the coronavirus pandemic, which prevents producers from selling at fairs.

“During the first confinement, we were not in a festive period while for the second, we are in the middle of it, laments Marie-Pierre Pé.

75% of our activity is done in November and December so we have already set up offers for small packaging for 4 to 6 people ”.

Better armed and trained breeders

Pierre Pérès has been a duck breeder in Saint-Michel, near Auch, for about thirty years.

Currently, he raises between 8,000 and 10,000 ducks in the open air, divided into two batches: small ducklings born a week ago and a batch of 14-week-old ducks which are going to force-feed.

The containment of these ducks requested by the authorities is not a surprise.

“We have seen for a fortnight that the risk was high but we are well informed by the chambers of agriculture, confides this professional who saw his ducks slaughtered in the winter of 2016 because of avian influenza.

To protect them, we have built small indoor parks.

We are better armed than in previous crises but it remains a colossal job, not to mention the deliveries and drives that we supply because of the confinement ”.

Our dossier on avian influenza

To avoid the avian flu epidemic, the foie gras industry has set up the poultry database to locate in real time all the batches of animals in place.

In the event of an alert from the health authorities, this mapping tool gives the possibility of blocking their movements to stop the spread of avian influenza.

World

Avian flu: 215,000 hens will be slaughtered in the Netherlands

Society

Avian flu: France places 46 departments at "high" risk

  • Toulouse

  • Confinement

  • Coronavirus

  • Foie gras

  • Ducks

  • Society

  • Christmas

  • Avian Flu