France raised Friday its bird flu risk assessment from ‘moderate’ to ‘high,’ according to a decree seen by Reuters.
The decision triggers stricter security measures around poultry farms after bird flu rates spread more rapidly among poultry in the European Union this season compared to 2023.
This has sparked concerns of a recurrence of previous crises that resulted in tens of millions of poultry deaths and fears of potential human-to-human transmission.
The heightened risk follows confirmed infections in migratory wild birds in neighboring countries.
The French agriculture ministry stated that the upgrade aims to bolster surveillance and preventive measures.
The change in status will take effect on Saturday and comes earlier than last year’s seasonal assessment, which was implemented in December rather than November.
Since the summer, France has reported eight bird flu outbreaks on farms. In response, the country launched a second vaccination campaign for farm ducks last month, following the success of a similar initiative in 2023. Similarly, the British government confirmed bird flu cases in Yorkshire on Tuesday, just hours after it raised its own risk level to ‘high’ (Reuters).
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