France kicks off bird flu vaccination despite trade backlash risk

France kicks off bird flu vaccination despite trade backlash risk

Published October 02,2023


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France began vaccinating geese in opposition to fowl flu on Monday to attempt to stem the virus that killed thousands and thousands of birds world wide, a transfer that prompted the United States to impose commerce restrictions on French poultry imports.

France has been among the many international locations worst affected by an unprecedented international unfold of extremely pathogenic avian influenza, generally referred to as fowl flu, that has disrupted provide of poultry meat and eggs and despatched costs rocketing in lots of components of the globe up to now years.

The ravages precipitated to its flocks and concern that the virus may mutate into one transmissible to people prompted the federal government to launch a compulsory vaccination marketing campaign, making it the primary poultry exporting nation to take action.

The first pictures got on Monday morning to geese on a farm within the Landes, a area in southwestern France, within the presence of French Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau.

“It’s a moment of optimism, we have the feeling of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” Fesneau instructed reporters.

In whole, over 60 million geese should be vaccinated over a 12 months for a complete value of 96 million euros ($102 million), of which 85% will probably be financed by the state, duck and fois gras makers group CIFOG stated in a press release welcoming the transfer.

“This vaccination plan … is a world first: its goal is to protect all farmed birds and should put an end to the preventive slaughter of animals, which no one wants to live with anymore,” it stated.

More and extra governments have been vaccination as a approach to include the extremely contagious fowl flu. However, commerce limitations such vaccination can immediate have made massive poultry exporters reluctant to inoculate their birds.

The United States triggered restrictions on imports of French poultry starting Oct. 1, citing a threat of introducing the virus into the nation.

Vaccinated birds might not present indicators of an infection, that means it’s inconceivable to find out whether or not the virus is in a flock, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) stated on Friday.

Despite intensive talks, Japan was additionally nonetheless reluctant to simply accept French poultry after vaccination, Fesneau stated.

Bird flu vaccination in France is initially restricted to geese, that are essentially the most susceptible to the virus and accounted for under 8% of whole French poultry manufacturing in 2022.

Source: www.anews.com.tr