That is correct Eve. Whilst they have slaughtered probably 500,000 ducks and geese here (which is just about all of them), chickens and the few turkeys remain free-ranging. The virus found was H5N5, although there has recently been a case of H5N8 just Northwest of Paris for which wild pheasants are being blamed (it appears). It was different last year though when we were all on lockdown after the H5N8 virus was detected and all the ducks, geese and chickens in 'infected' 3km zones were slaughtered. Basically the bio-security measures put in place last year haven't worked. One farmer said he was using his compensation money to move into chicken production instead because he has had all his stock slaughtered two years in a row and has had enough of working 7 days a week for nothing.
There was a report last week of a definite move away from caged hens and to free-ranging, the latter now has the greater market share. This has been consumer driven as the French will pay a premium for small farm produce. Much of the vegetables consumed here are grown in backyard plots and sold at the weekly markets. The local towns have different market days so it is possible to sell all week. The veg is picked early in the morning and sold the same morning- we have a friend who does just that, growing his produce in two large poly-tunnels in his garden.
Topic: Country file (Read 3742 times)
