After the country conducted the world’s first large-scale bird flu vaccination campaign, the French department of agriculture has purchased another 67.75 million doses of vaccine, Poultry World reports.
The new avian influenza vaccination campaign will begin on 1 October. The government will cover 70% of the costs during the first 3 months of the campaign, the department in Paris has announced.
France began a first vaccination round of poultry against highly pathogenic avian influenza last year after the country had been hit by serious, large-scale outbreaks of the disease in some previous winters, particularly among ducks, which appeared to be very susceptible to avian influenza infection.
Over the last few months, some 50 million ducks have been vaccinated – this, says the department, is the first campaign seen globally on such a large scale. As a result, France didn’t report any major highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks last winter or spring, apart from the occasional case.
The department says a new vaccination campaign is needed because of a high infection rate of avian influenza among wild birds.
“The first campaign has been a success thanks to the close cooperation between all parties involved – the vaccine suppliers, veterinarians, agricultural organisations, the government and the poultry holders themselves,” said the department. “We can now build on that success and the experience and knowledge we gathered with the first action.”
South African poultry producers will be envious. Local vaccination has not yet started, mainly because of the high obstacles the government has imposed. And, if vaccination does go ahead, it is the farmers who will put up the money, not the government.
