After Morbihan, it is the neighboring department of Ille-et-Vilaine which is affected. Saturday evening, the prefecture announced that a first outbreak of avian flu had been detected in Essé, not far from Fougères, northeast of Rennes. Consequence: 6,000 Muscovy ducks had to be slaughtered in order to limit the spread of the virus, which is particularly active in France this winter. The authorities specify that the breeder concerned will be compensated for his losses. Thursday, an outbreak had been detected in Morbihan and 15,000 ducks had to be slaughtered.
Restrictive measures will also have to be adopted, including by individuals. “To avoid any risk of viral circulation, regulated protection zones (ZP) and surveillance (ZS) are set up within a radius of 3 and 10 km around the infected farm”, specifies the prefecture.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, France had on Friday “892 outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in livestock, 37 cases in wildlife and 19 cases in backyards”. The most affected regions are the South-West and, since the end of February, the outbreaks have increased sharply in the Pays-de-la-Loire, in particular in Loire-Atlantique and Vendée. “Thirty-four countries are today affected by the epizootic on the whole of the European continent”, specifies the ministry.
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