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Disease Update 14.01.16 AI situation in France

British Poultry Council Press Release: AI situation in France.

There are 69 confirmed cases and the French are proposing to introduce new measures to stop the spread of the disease.

Dordogne – 13/ Landes – 28/ Haute-Viene – 1/ Gers – 10/ Pyrénées Atlantiques – 12/ Haute Pyrénées – 3/ Lot – 1/Haute-Garonne – 1

Please see the following press release though please note, that this is the unofficial translation from the French document into English. 

Paris, 14 January 2016 

Avian influenza: professionals and public authorities mobilized to implement a pro-active strategy to clean up the breeding of birds and eradicate the disease

A few weeks after the detection of the first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the Dordogne, there are now 69 focus areas which are divided in 8 departments of the Southwest. The disease mainly affects the ducks and goose sector.

Reminder, identified highly pathogenic avian influenza virus presents no danger to humans but is transferable to other species of poultry (chickens, Guinea fowl, etc.), and may eventually recombine at the risk of becoming more virulent.

Faced with this situation and taking into account both health and economic issues, it is necessary to eradicate the disease in the ducks and goose sectory effectively and sustainably and in addition to find as soon as possible the free status of the France for the whole of the poultry sector.

The Directorate General Food of the Ministry of agriculture gathered this morning members of the national Council for animal and plant health policy (CNOPSAV) to discuss and validate a strategy for the eradication of the virus, three-pronged:

  • The sustainable implementation of bio-security measures in all poultry farms in the the national territory,
  • Sanitation of duck and goose sector in the greater southwest area, the setting up of sanitary emptying,
  • The implementation of a strategy of enhanced surveillance in the affected area and in the free zone, in all stages in the chain.

Professionals have shared this observation and these guidelines. On the conditions of sanitation of the duck and goose sector, they proposed a proactive plan that is available in the following way:

  • No new implementation of ducklings from 18 January , which will allow sanitation measures and remediation of the environment with the implementation in place cleaning, disinfection and sanitary emptying across the area once farms will not anymore house birds;
  • No massive preventive culling of livestock. The rearing of duck flocks already put in place will be continued to an end.

This plan will allow the refitting of healthy ducklings in farms remediated by the end of the first half of the year. The production may be picked up again to ensure, in good conditions, the production for the end of the year holidays.

Stéphane le Foll has validated these proposals and asked that a detailed plan be implemented at the earliest opportunity. 

The plan will be presented to the European Commission in the next week (week starting 18.01.16).

This will allow the implementation of this eradication strategy which is essential for the sustainability of the sector and confidence-building at the European and international level.