Paris — Authorities in southwest France began a cull of hundreds of thousands of ducks on Thursday as authorities scramble to contain an outbreak of a virulent strain of bird flu sweeping Europe. The farm birds in France’s foie gras heartland are to be slaughtered to stem the spread of an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N8 virus. Several culls have already taken place since December, dealing a blow to producers of foie gras — a controversial delicacy made from the livers of ducks and geese after force-feeding — in the run-up to the important Christmas season. But until now only farms with infected birds were affected. The latest cull targets free-range ducks raised for foie gras in the Gers, Landes, Hautes-Pyrenees and Pyrenees-Atlantiques areas, which risk contracting the virus from wild birds. Duck farmers have accused the government of being slow to respond at the start of the outbreak, abetting its spread and increasing the number of birds now being led to the slaughter. Sin...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.