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France to cull 600,000 more ducks to contain bird flu

Xinhua, February 21, 2017 Adjust font size:

France will slaughter 600,000 more ducks in its southwest region of Les Landes to prevent avian influenza contamination, Agriculture Minister Stephane Le Foll announced Tuesday.

"We have already culled a lot of ducks in the eastern bit of that area. We know that there is still an area remaining where we will have to take action to cull all the ducks," Le Foll told France Bleu regional radio.

The massive cull will take "several weeks," he said, adding the precautionary move is necessary to resume production.

Following a severe strain of H5N8 bird flu hitting several European countries last year, France has already imposed precautionary measures to prevent poultry contacts with wild birds and restrict hunting in high-risk areas.

France, one of the European Union's leading poultry breeders and main producers of foie gras, has detected a bird flu outbreak, forcing a ban of all duck and goose production in many southwestern departments. Endi