PARIS – According to the Ministry of Animal Husbandry on Friday (10/9), French authorities raise alert status bird flu after finding the severe form of the virus in the group poultry backyard in the northeast, exceeds the case in neighboring countries Belgium and Luxembourg.
The highly contagious bird flu strain H5N8 was discovered this week in a flock of ducks, hens, turkeys and pigeons belonging to a family in the Ardennes region. All the animals were culled as a precautionary measure.
“The health situation regarding highly pathogenic bird flu is worrying. Since August 1, 25 cases have been found in Europe among wild and captive birds,” the ministry said in a statement.
Two cases of H5N8 were reported last week in Belgium – one at a bird seller and the other in a private home – as well as a case in one of the homes in Luxembourg that was linked to a seller in Belgium.
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The latest case involving the bird flu strain H5N8 prompted France to raise its risk assessment from “ordinary” to “moderate”, which would see poultry in some areas confined indoors, he said.
The outbreak in France will not jeopardize the country’s recently declared bird flu-free status after the previous H5N8 bird flu wave.
Outbreaks of bird flu could force importing countries, especially in Asia, to impose trade restrictions on poultry products.
France culled about 3 million birds last winter in a duck farm in the southwest as they grapple with the spread of the virus from wild birds to flocks.
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The massive outbreak prompted the government to approve new biosecurity measures with the poultry sector.
The move includes a requirement to limit herds during times of concern and a commitment to reduce livestock overcrowding in the southwest, home to an industrial foie gras pate made from French duck liver.
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