The French government is cutting its financial support for bird flu vaccinations, angering the country’s poultry farmers.
The government has announced that it will reduce its financial contribution to the vaccination campaign against avian influenza from 70% to 40%, Poultry World reports. The state will also no longer buy the vaccines but transfer the responsibly to the sectors and organisations themselves.
The reductions have been forced by the need to cut French government spending.
French poultry organisations said in a joint statement that the funding cuts would undermine France’s successful bird flu vaccination campaign and increase the risks to public health.
“Maintaining the contribution of the state at 70% is vital for the efficiency of the vaccination, which prevents the culling of many thousands of animals at high costs for the government for compensation of the farmers,” they said.
“The situation in other regions, like the US or closer to us Hungary, shows that the vaccination strategy against avian influenza is the only solution to prevent a health catastrophe. The State has to continue to take her responsibilities,” the poultry industry said.
Even at reduced levels of 40% support, South African poultry farmers will look with envy at the payments their French counterparts are receiving.
The South African government is stalling a bird flu vaccination programme, rather than encouraging it, and if vaccinations get underway then farmers will have to bear all of the costs themselves.
The French government has not reduced its compensation payments to farmers for birds culled during bird flu outbreaks. The South African government pays nothing, and is appealing against a court order directing a change in this policy.
