After more than 15 months of negotiations and health diplomacy between French, American and Canadian authorities, the United States and Canada have lifted their embargo on French duck genetics. This embargo followed the implementation of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) vaccination program for ducks in France.
The announcement comes from the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty: On January 16, 2025, the United States lifted the embargo on French exports of poultry and poultry products (except ducks), including avian genetics products (hatching eggs and day-old chicks), as well as the embargo on exports of ducks and duck products from other European Union member states. A few days earlier, on December 24, 2024, Canada lifted all restrictions on exports of French avian genetics (hatching eggs and day-old chicks). These embargoes had taken effect on October 1, 2023, the day the French duck vaccination campaign against HPAI was launched.
After more than a year of negotiations, the French veterinary authorities succeeded in convincing the American and Canadian authorities of the safety of the HPAI vaccination. As a result, the latter therefore announced the lifting of restrictions on unvaccinated poultry and poultry products/by-products from unvaccinated flocks, while “maintaining the safety of agricultural trade”.
Grimaud Frères was very active in this dossier, since the water fowls hatchery was central to reassuring the North American auditors during their visit to France in September 2024. The auditors had demanded that their first visit be to a duck hatchery, and Grimaud Frères was naturally chosen by the French authorities and the French Poultry association because of its irreproachable organization and recognized know-how, as well as being the main supplier of duck genetic to these destinations.
… and also by China and Thailand!
China, after more than 10 years of closure to French poultry genetics, has also reopened its borders at the end of year 2024. Thailand says they will re-open to French exports in March 2025, i.e exactly 12 months after they put their temporary ban, just waiting now for official confirmation.