On October 1, 2023, France became the first country in Europe – and the only one to date – to introduce vaccination against avian flu in ducks.
It was feared that many third countries would close their borders to French genetics and/or poultry products while they studied the new situation.
In fact, it turned out that most countries easily understood the strategy put in place by France:
- Compulsory vaccination of all CS ducks in mainland France (with the exception of Corsica) applies only to ducks destined for the French market.
- All ducklings destined for export are NOT vaccinated, nor do they come from vaccinated flocks. The same applies to hatching eggs.
Against this backdrop, France has decided to provide precise information to help everyone understand the vaccination action plan. A number of essential subjects have been detailed in explanatory sheets available on the www.agriculture.gouv.fr website:
1. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI): the French vaccination strategy
2. Available and effective HPAI vaccines in circulation
3. Implementation of a vaccination trial program for mulard ducks on farms
4. Presentation of the scenario envisaged for HPAI vaccination in France
5. Reinforced post-vaccination surveillance program
6. Biosecurity measures
7. The Data recording system
8. Restrictions on movements of vaccinated animals and their products
9. Outbreak management in the context of vaccination
10. Communication
To date, only three (3) countries have temporarily closed their borders to avian genetics (all species) and poultry products: Japan, USA and Canada.
Exemptions are currently being negotiated to enable companies in these countries to continue to benefit from the valuable contribution of French genetics.
France’s strategy has proved effective, with only X HPAI cases recorded in the duck industry between summer 2023 and the time of writing this. Many countries are now keen to follow France’s example.