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The France will drastically step up the killing of chickens and other poultry in an attempt to contain an outbreak of bird flu considered worse than last winter's, the Agriculture Ministry announced on Friday.
It is the fourth major flu outbreak for French poultry farms since 2015, mostly in the southwest of the country. By eliminating populations where the virus is spreading, officials hope to contain the outbreak before it reaches other poultry farming areas.
More than four million birds had already been killed this year before the outbreak spread to western France in the past two weeks, especially in the Vendee department along the Atlantic coast.
In that department many farms raise birds exclusively for breeding, so clearing the latest virus from that zone is key.
Nearly 190 infected sites have been identified in the region and authorities estimate there are still three million animals to be killed there.
Source: CNA
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