French poultry must bury culled chickens on farm yard

In France, so much poultry has already been culled in recent weeks due to the highly pathogenic bird flu (HPAI) that the cadaver processors can no longer handle the work. The infrastructure for culling in France is regulated by region and has reached its regional borders, so that carcasses have to be buried, at least temporarily, in the yard of the farms. 

Nearly a million laying hens have already been culled in the chicken and egg trade this month. The poultry industry trade associations are demanding higher compensation from the Paris government for the affected companies. The Social Agricultural Fund (MSA) announced 7 million euros in emergency aid.

Until now, the spread to the province of Brittany, where the density of poultry farmers is greatest, has been largely prevented. The construction of a 'firewall' may have contributed to this, whereby stocks in fertilizer companies were preventively reduced and transport bans were imposed in 73 villages between the two regions. 

The situation in the Dordogne is also being looked at with care. Although only 38 infections in livestock have been registered in this department, the spread there seems to be continuing. The authorities have therefore now ordered an extension of preventive culling to protect foie gras production in the region.

In the southwest of the country, where the first focus of the current epidemic developed, the situation is now relatively stable. There are currently 370 records of infestations from the region, which is mainly known for duck fattening. In the Loire basin, however, the spread of the disease has accelerated.