As the number of farms contaminated with bird flu continues to increase, Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie said on Friday that "hundreds of thousands" of ducks would be slaughtered.

Since December, nearly 400,000 ducks have been slaughtered in the Landes department.

"Hundreds of thousands" of ducks will still be slaughtered after the extension of the slaughterings announced Thursday by the government, Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie predicted on Friday, citing the need "to accelerate in the race against time "against a" highly pathogenic "avian influenza virus.

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Since December, "almost 400,000 ducks have been slaughtered in the Landes department (...) it will still be hundreds of thousands, it is a certainty", declared the minister on France Bleu Gascogne, a few hours before a visit to the affected breeders, in this department which is the leading producer of fatty palmipeds.