France says duck cull mostly over as bird flu stabilises

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France says duck cull mostly over as bird flu stabilises

REUTERS

 

PARIS (Reuters) - France will scale back preventive slaughtering of ducks to counter bird flu after the culling of 800,000 birds this month helped slow the spread of the disease in the southwest, the country's agriculture minister said on Thursday.

 

France resorted to a mass cull after the highly contagious H5N8 strain of bird flu started spreading among farms in the southwest, the country's main production zone for the duck and goose liver speciality foie gras.

 

"We have passed the peak in preventive culling," Stephane Le Foll told reporters. "We have zones where the situation has started to stabilise."

 

The 800,000 birds culled preventively were in addition to about 1 million that died or were slaughtered at farms where the H5N8 virus was detected, he said.

 

France had confirmed 152 cases of H5N8 bird flu on farms as of Thursday, and is one of a number of European countries to have been affected by the virus since late last year.

 

The outbreak has exasperated farmers in southwest France who already experienced an epidemic of different bird flu strains a year ago, which led authorities to suspend foie gras production.

 

Le Foll pledged that remaining compensation due from last year's crisis would be paid in April and that farmers hit again this year would start receiving from March further aid worth "several tens of millions of euros", he said.

 

Last year's compensation package was estimated at around 130 million euros, co-financed by France and the European Union.

The authorities and the foie gras industry would also study longer-term measures to reduce bird flu risks, including a rethink of the transporting of animals which has been blamed for spreading the disease in southwest France, Le Foll said.

 

(Reporting by Gus Trompiz; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-01-20

[Cockwomble]

Will there be a similar duck cull in Thailand? 

 

 

[rhythmworx]

Will there be a duck cull on the forum?

[Scott]

16 minutes ago, rhythmworx said:

Will there be a duck cull on the forum?

Keep trolling and there will be.

[Cockwomble]

23 minutes ago, Scott said:

Keep trolling and there will be.

Admit it, you were chuckling

[smokie36]

7 hours ago, Cockwomble said:

Admit it, you were chuckling

 

It was almost like an episode of Jim'll Fix It for me then.

[Cockwomble]

I bet this has ruffled a few feathers

[smokie36]

I  believe there was a case in Lancashire where huge rats were eating the duck population.

 

Perhaps that could be a solution here.

 

I wonder what our old member Roland Rat would have thought of the idea?

Edited January 20, 2017 by smokie36

[Scott]

Please keep it on topic.   There are thousands of people who are now deprived of their fois gras, or whatever it's called. 

[smokie36]

7 hours ago, Scott said:

Please keep it on topic.   There are thousands of people who are now deprived of their fois gras, or whatever it's called. 

 

The Marriott cafe buffet on Soi 2 has excellent pan fried fois gras.

 

I wonder if their supply comes from France as perhaps we should get along and enjoy it quick...before supplies run out.

[Cockwomble]

Please keep it on topic.   There are thousands of people who are now deprived of their fois gras, or whatever it's called. 

I am more worried that it. Might not infect the duck population here

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

[Savilesghost]

Maybe Thailand could send some of their ducks to France ?, but from personal experience, a lot of duck liver in Thailand i have found is rather bitter, so may not suit the french palate 

[Savilesghost]

I digress slightly but a question for any knowlegable members, is the Pacific black duck a migratory /native species to Thailand ?

 

I am sure i have seen them in Thailand, but thought they came from New Zealand, Aussie south pacific area ? 

[Scott]

Apparently, some people don't think we take trolling seriously.

 

Suspensions will be forthcoming.  

 

//Closed//