"An experiment to analyze the interest of setting up a vaccine (against avian flu) on these species will start on May 10 for two batches of palmipeds" (birds with webbed feet), announced the Ministry of Agriculture during of a press conference on Monday.
“Other batches will be put in place in the following weeks with vaccine trials in several phases,” he added.
The two vaccine candidates selected are those of the Ceva Santé Animale and Boehringer Ingelheim laboratories.
The 2.3 million euro experiment will be financed by the State, regional councils, the National Food Safety Agency (Anses), the Toulouse veterinary school and the Interprofessional Committee for Palmipeds in foie gras (Cifog).
We will have to wait at best “early 2023” to achieve a vaccine, according to Cifog, the experimentation requiring “two production cycles, therefore twice 5 months”.
A brake on exports
The challenge is to deploy this additional tool on “the whole territory” underlines the ministry, but to vaccinate is also to see opportunities close.
Many countries (Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Great Britain, United States, etc.) refuse to supply themselves with poultry in countries that practice vaccination against avian flu, fearing that a vaccinated animal will import the virus onto their country. territory.
But "if we have to move towards vaccination, export must be possible", said the ministry without developing further on negotiations with countries outside Europe.
“The vaccination strategy will be recorded for European countries, for third countries, which represent important commercial issues, it will be necessary that, collectively, we defend the interest of this vaccination and the absence of risk for them”, explained the Ministry.
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