France confirms launch of HPAI vaccination at start of October
Starting in early October, France will be the first country in Europe to start vaccinating commercial duck flocks against highly pathogenic avian influenza.
The campaign launch was announced by the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) at the end of August following a visit from Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Marc Fesneau to a duck farm in the Vendée.
Fesneau confirmed to farmers and other professionals in the poultry sector that preparations for the HPAI vaccination campaign are entering their final phase. Government officials had previously selected the company responsible for producing the first vaccine order and sent the official vaccination plan to the European Commission in August. This month, final steps will be taken including publication of the decrees, technical and financial ministerial instructions, instructions to services, operational sheets for field actors, gradual deployment of the information system for traceability and feedback of information.
According to a news release, vaccination will be mandatory for all commercial duck farms throughout the year. The minister confirmed that, for this first vaccination campaign, the state would cover 85% of the total cost of this project.
During his trip to a poultry farm in the Vendée, he praised the work carried out as a team by state services, agricultural professionals and veterinarians to prepare the launch of this campaign.
Fesneau recalled the unfailing commitment to the management of the HPAI crisis and the national solidarity from which the sectors can benefit.
Regarding compensation for farmers in the event of animal slaughter, 86% of advance requests were processed for the 2022-2023 crisis, for a total amount of €37.2 million. With regard to compensation for economic losses, the first advances on economic compensation for livestock farmers located in regulated areas were paid at the beginning of August.
As announced, run-of-the-river payments began during the summer and nearly €30 million has already been paid to provide cash support to 1,980 farms.
The minister also insisted on the innovative nature of the approach undertaken by professionals, financially supported by the state, to reduce, since July, the density of ducks in farms. This was done to limit the risk of the appearance of a new epizootic wave and thus guarantee the launch of the vaccination campaign in good conditions.
Indeed, no ducklings have been set up in the 45 municipalities with the highest densities of duck farms in the Pays de la Loire region. This measure has also been deployed around a number of strategic breeding sites for the preservation of avian genetics.
Finally, Fesneau underlines the crucial role of the veterinary profession in the deployment of this campaign, both for the application of the vaccine and the associated surveillance and for the security of information and financial circuits.
Read more about the research behind the vaccination launch.
See the latest news from the U.S. on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site. The Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy at the University of Minnesota also tracks avian flu news. A recent update highlighted detection of H5N1 in seals in Washington state.
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