China News Service, December 9th, according to foreign media reports, on the 8th local time, the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food stated that the H5N8 avian influenza virus was detected in a duck farm in the southwest of the country.
This is the first outbreak of avian influenza in a farm in France in 2020.
According to reports, a statement from the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food stated that the laboratory of the French National Food, Environmental and Labor Hygiene Agency (ANSES) confirmed that 6,000 ducks were infected with H5N8 avian influenza on a farm in Benés Marennes Virus, a large number of ducks have been found dead.
On December 7, French authorities set up a safety zone around the farm, strengthened surveillance, prohibited the transfer of poultry, and adopted additional hygiene measures.
All the ducks on the farm have been culled.
The French Ministry of Agriculture and Food said that recently, France has detected H5N8 avian influenza virus in poultry sold in three pet shops.
Last week, three wild swans and one wild goose were also confirmed to carry H5N8 avian influenza virus.
The H5N8 avian influenza virus is a highly contagious virus that spreads between birds.
Since the H5N8 avian influenza virus was first discovered in 2014, no humans have been infected with this virus.
The bird flu epidemic has spread in many European countries recently, prompting France to raise the bird flu safety alert level to a high level in early November.
There have been bird flu outbreaks in several farms in Germany.
At the end of November, the British government notified that a turkey farm in northern England had detected avian influenza and at least 10,000 turkeys had been culled.