Europe has been experiencing an unprecedented bird flu epizootic for more than a year, with around 50 million poultry slaughtered on farms infected with the virus, reports Le Parisien.
According to health authorities, this sharp increase in the number of outbreaks in poultry this year could be linked to the spread of the virus through waterfowl.
A total of 37 European countries were affected by bird flu between October 2021 and September 2022.
According to a report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Union Reference Laboratory, a total of 2,520 outbreaks in poultry, 227 in birds in captivity and 3,867 detections in wild birds have been reported and about 50 million birds have been slaughtered on the affected farms, media said.
Compared to their European neighbors, the French are no exception to the rule. The risk was re-evaluated to a “high” level across mainland France in early November. A situation that has forced many farmers to confine their poultry to limit its possible spread.
To prevent bird flu from getting out of control, the state has initiated a decline in poultry production in the West, with early departures for slaughter.
Since the summer, the virus has resumed affecting French farms exceptionally soon after a catastrophic 2021-2022 season. More than 20 million poultry were slaughtered between autumn 2021 and spring 2022, indicates the Parisian. An unprecedented episode that shocked the poultry world due to its extent.
