France’s agriculture ministry revealed on Wednesday that an outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu had been found in the southwest part of the country. Reuters reported the news today, November 25 that the European Union’s biggest agricultural producer has detected the virus in a family backyard in Biras in the Perigord region, which is home to many foie gras and poultry producers, where the highly pathogenic germ has killed 22 chickens out of 32.
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South Korea will suspend imports of French poultry and live birds after the country reported an outbreak of avian influenza (AI), the government said Thursday.
Experts from ANSES are evaluating the potential dangerousness of the strain for man. French Minister of Agriculture Stephane Le Foll also immediately activated the national urgent sanitary intervention plan.
The government has established a 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone around the infected premises, in keeping with European and global law.
Producers are concerned that the outbreak has occurred just ahead of the festive season, with about half of all annual sales of foie gras made in the month of December.
South Korea imported 1 ton of duck meat, 13 tons of foie gras, 844,000 chicks and 41,000 ducklings from France during the January-October period.
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According to France’s report to the OIE, France has not experienced an outbreak of avian flu since 2007. “This is only one backyard and 30 poultry, and France is very well organized”, LDC Chief Executive Denis Lambert told reporters.
