PARIS, December 6 (Reuters) – French ducks will have to receive a third dose of vaccine against avian flu, the French Ministry of Agriculture announced on Wednesday, which on Tuesday raised the level of risk in “moderate” to “high”. the country.
“New scientific knowledge has led us to adjust the vaccination protocol to guarantee the best possible protection of animals and avoid any epizootic outbreak,” the ministry said in a press release.
“For this, a three-dose protocol will be applied from week 49 (the week which began Monday – Editor’s note) until March 15, 2024 in areas identified at risk and targeting mulard ducks,” continues the press release.
The mulard duck is a poultry intended for the production of foie gras.
France declared last week that it had detected a first outbreak of avian flu this season on a farm in Morbihan. Since then, three other outbreaks have been discovered, including two in Morbihan and one in the Somme, the ministry said.
All four outbreaks were on turkey farms.
On Monday, Belgium reported an outbreak of avian flu on a farm in Diksmuide, not far from the border with France.
The high risk level means that all poultry must be kept indoors throughout the country and additional safety measures must be taken to prevent the spread of the disease. (Report by Sybille de La Hamaide; written by Nicolas Delame, edited by Kate Entringer)
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