Alsace foie gras in danger, indirect victim of avian flu

On July 17, a disastrous countdown will begin for the Alsatian foie gras industry. On that day, Gilbert Schmitt will find himself with a totally empty operation and no prospect of a restart. He will only be the first of his fellow duck and geese processors to see his activity cease in this way. Like him, the dozen or so farmers making up the regional foie gras sector may indeed find themselves at a standstill.

Unlike the western facade of France, the territory has not yet been affected by avian flu. But breeders can no longer obtain supplies of ducklings, which are only produced in hatcheries located in Pays de la Loire, a territory strongly affected by the epidemic.

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“The two major French foie gras production groups received ducklings, but not us. The Alsatian artisanal sector, however, represents only 1% of the market: 40,000 ducklings would be enough for us to cover the Christmas period, it is really not much on the scale of the sector. All we want is to be able to continue working”, notes Nicolas Lechner, president of the Gänzeliesel association, which brings together breeders who process Alsatian foie gras. The latter employ some one hundred and ten employees, to which are added some forty seasonal workers.

The phenomenon does not only concern the artisanal sector. The Feyel-Artzner group, the regional leader, also recognizes that it has no guarantee of being able to satisfy its customers at Christmas. “This year, for the first time in our history, all our sources of supply are impacted; both the Southwest and Hungary”deplores Patricia Houdebert, marketing director of the industrial. The European community of Alsace (CEA) has tackled the problem head on, in the name of defending short circuits but also Alsatian culture.

Hatchery project

“In the short term, we are asking processors in the South West to show solidarity. The volumes allowing the Alsatian sector to continue are indeed derisory”, launches Nicolas Stamm-Corby, adviser to the president (Les Républicains) of the CEA, Frédéric Bierry. With Catherine Graef-Eckert, elected departmental in charge of the file, he pleads with the government so that breeders affected by the shortage of ducklings are compensated, in the same way as their colleagues located in territories directly affected by avian flu.

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