A highly pathogenic strain of bird flu, carried perhaps by a single pet bird into a Corsica shop in November, has since moved across the sea to the duck farms of southwestern France — and from there, into the anxious memory of an industry that has survived this before, though barely. By early January 2021, 124 outbreaks had been confirmed, 350,000 ducks had been slaughtered, and producers of foie gras were calling on the state for radical preemptive action, knowing that hesitation in 2015 cost them millions of birds and years of recovery. The virus poses no known danger to humans, but for the
France faces mass duck cull as H5N8 bird flu threatens foie gras industry
Hundreds of thousands of ducks face culling; economic devastation threatened for foie gras producers and farmers dependent on poultry exports.
The virus is stronger than us. New clusters are constantly emerging.
Mark
Why are foie gras producers calling for a cull of their own birds? Wouldn't that destroy their business?
Mimi
Because they're terrified of what happened in 2015. Back then, they lost 25 million ducks. They'd rather control the damage now than watch it spiral.
Mark
But the virus is only in certain regions, right? Why cull everything?
Mimi
Because it's spreading. Every day there's a new cluster. They're betting that a two-month freeze and wider culls now will stop it before it becomes unstoppable.
Mark
Is this actually working anywhere else?
Mimi
Not really. Belgium, the Netherlands, South Korea—they're all culling and the virus keeps appearing. It's like trying to hold back water with your hands.
Mark
What about the birds themselves? Are they sick?
Mimi
Some are. But most of the culling is preventive—killing healthy birds to try to break the chain of transmission. It's brutal math.
Mark
And if they don't do this?
Mimi
Then they risk losing the entire season, losing export markets like China, and repeating 2015. That's the fear driving everything.
Il Polso
- A virus first detected in a Corsican pet shop has leapt to the mainland and is spreading faster than authorities can contain it, with 124 confirmed outbreaks by early January.
- France has already killed 350,000 ducks and is preparing to slaughter 400,000 more, while producers warn the situation is 'out of control' and the virus is 'stronger than us.'
- China has suspended French poultry imports, and Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Britain, Ireland, South Korea, and India are all fighting their own outbreaks — signaling a crisis that is no longer merely French.
- Foie gras producers, haunted by the 2015–2017 outbreaks that destroyed 25 million birds and collapsed export markets, are demanding wider cull zones and a two-month production freeze before the damage grows irreversible.
- Officials are expanding cull radii and sharing wider containment plans, but no final decision has been announced — leaving the industry suspended between preemptive sacrifice and the risk of something far larger.
A highly pathogenic strain of bird flu, carried perhaps by a single pet bird into a Corsica shop in November, has since moved across the sea to the duck farms of southwestern France — and from there, into the anxious memory of an industry that has survived this before, though barely. By early January 2021, 124 outbreaks had been confirmed, 350,000 ducks had been slaughtered, and producers of foie gras were calling on the state for radical preemptive action, knowing that hesitation in 2015 cost them millions of birds and years of recovery. The virus poses no known danger to humans, but for the farmers, the economics, and the ducks themselves, the danger is very real.
A virus that entered France through a Corsica pet shop in November has since cascaded into a crisis across the duck farms of the southwest. The H5N8 strain — highly pathogenic and, in the words of officials, 'very, very contagious' among birds — crossed from the island to the mainland in December, and by early January France's agriculture ministry had counted 124 separate outbreaks. Around 350,000 ducks had already been slaughtered, with 400,000 more expected to follow.
The foie gras industry is pushing hard for the state to go further — expanding cull zones well beyond the current three-kilometre radius around infected farms, and imposing a two-month halt to production. Their urgency is rooted in lived experience: the outbreaks of 2015 and 2016 forced the culling of more than 25 million ducks, devastated production, and shut down export markets. Marie-Pierre Pe, who leads France's federation of foie gras producers, told reporters plainly that the virus was outpacing their response. A producer in the Landes department — the heartland of foie gras country — was more direct: 'The situation is out of control.'
The economic consequences are already crossing borders. China suspended imports of French poultry this week. Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Britain, and Ireland are all reporting their own cases. South Korea has slaughtered nearly 15 million poultry since late November, and multiple Indian states are scrambling to contain two separate strains after mass die-offs among migratory and domestic birds.
French officials have begun discussing wider containment measures, but no final decision has been made. The producers are betting that a larger sacrifice now might prevent a catastrophic one later — though as Pe acknowledged, the virus has so far proven stronger than their plans.
A virus that arrived in a Corsica pet shop in November has set off a cascade of slaughter across southwestern France. The H5N8 strain—highly pathogenic, spreading fast—jumped from that island to duck farms on the mainland in December, and now producers of foie gras are calling for something drastic: a preventive cull of entire flocks across entire regions, a two-month halt to production, whatever it takes to stop the bleeding.
By early January, the numbers had begun to pile up. France's agriculture ministry counted 124 separate outbreaks. About 350,000 ducks had already been killed since late December. The government's chief veterinary officer said another 400,000 birds would likely follow—a fraction of the roughly 35 million ducks raised in France each year, but a fraction that matters enormously to an industry built on these animals. The virus, officials noted, is not dangerous to humans. It is, however, "very, very contagious" among birds.
The foie gras producers are frightened because they have lived through this before. In the winters of 2015 and 2016, bird flu outbreaks had forced the culling of more than 25 million ducks, then 4.5 million more. Production collapsed. Export markets dried up. The industry is watching the same pattern begin to repeat. Marie-Pierre Pe, who heads France's federation of foie gras producers, put it plainly to the press: "The virus is stronger than us. New clusters are constantly emerging." Herve Dupouy, a producer in the Landes department—the heart of foie gras country—was blunter still. "The situation is out of control," he said.
Currently, authorities are culling all ducks and geese within a three-kilometre radius of any infected farm, along with free-range chickens and turkeys in that zone. But producers want more. They want the state to expand the culls across a much wider area and impose a production freeze. The head of France's chamber of agriculture called for "radical measures." Officials have begun sharing plans to widen the cull zones, though no final decision has been announced.
The economic stakes are international. China announced this week that it was suspending imports of French poultry over the virus. Other European countries are fighting their own outbreaks: Belgium has culled three contaminated flocks and found the virus in 20 wild birds. The Netherlands culled 190,000 chickens in November. Sweden, Britain, and Ireland have also reported cases. In South Korea, authorities have slaughtered 14.9 million poultry since late November. In India, multiple states are scrambling to contain two strains of bird flu after thousands of migratory birds, ducks, crows, and chickens have died.
What happens next depends on whether the virus can be contained or whether it will force the kind of mass culling that devastated the industry five years ago. The producers are pushing for preemptive action now, hoping that a larger immediate sacrifice might prevent a larger one later. But the virus, as Pe said, is stronger than their plans.
Citazioni salienti
The virus is stronger than us. New clusters are constantly emerging.— Marie-Pierre Pe, head of France's CIFOQ foie gras producers federation
The situation is out of control.— Herve Dupouy, foie gras producer in the Landes department
Vuoi la storia completa?
Leggi l'originale su The Guardian ↗
Health & Medicine