La grippe aviaire en France : Bilan, espoirs et difficultés

While 10 million animals had to be euthanized in 2023 because of H5N1, a vaccination campaign launched in October among ducks is showing results. But the vaccine only limits the circulation of the virus, without completely preventing new infections.

Millions of poultry slaughtered, breeders who give up as they see their empty buildings, and a decimated sector. In the spring of 2022, the poultry farming situation in France is dire. An historic avian flu epidemic has struck the west of the country, where the majority of breeding and genetics farms are located, thereby affecting almost the entire industry. Two years later, while hope is rekindled with the launch of vaccination for ducks against this disease, the industry still struggles to recover.

“For six months, I didn’t have any guinea fowl [the juveniles that are then raised on the farm, ed.] because the hatcheries were affected. Then, for four months, the farm being located in a non-production zone, I had no poultry to sell on the market. A year later, not all of my customers have returned,” describes Sylvie Colas, a poultry farmer in the Gers region and spokesperson for the Confédération paysanne on the subject. She advocates for a revolution in breeding systems and defends a self-sufficient and local model.