France to start second bird flu vaccination campaign in October

France planning campaigns for bluetongue and epizootic haemorrhagic disease as well

France will launch a second vaccination campaign against avian influenza among farm ducks in October after a successful inaugural programme last year, Reuters reported, citing Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau on Tuesday.

The disease, commonly called bird flu, was detected on a poultry farm in France last week for the first time since January, ahead of the expected seasonal peak during autumn and winter.

Bird flu can be deadly for poultry and has ravaged farm flocks worldwide in recent years. There has also been evidence of transmission beyond birds, including among dairy cows and farm workers in the United States.

“We are going to relaunch a major vaccination campaign because this has proved its effectiveness,” Fesneau told France Info radio.

The authorities have ordered nearly 68 million vaccine shots from French firm Ceva Sante Animale and Germany’s Boehringer Ingelheim for the upcoming campaign, after vaccinating around 50 million ducks in the past year, the agriculture ministry added in a statement.

The cost of the second vaccination programme will be similar to the approximately 100 million euros invested last year and would be 70% financed by the government, Fesneau said.

That is less than the 85% government contribution last year and reflects the aim of gradually shifting the cost towards the poultry sector, he said.

France is also planning vaccination campaigns to contain two other livestock viruses – bluetongue and epizootic haemorrhagic disease, or EHD.

The authorities are providing millions of doses of bluetongue vaccines free of charge for sheep and cattle farms after a new variant of the disease, which can be deadly for ruminants, spread from northern Europe.

As of Aug. 14, 41 outbreaks of bluetongue had been detected in northeast France, the ministry said. The vaccination campaign began last week.

For EHD, a factor behind protests by French farmers earlier this year, a vaccine will be made available soon, Fesneau said.

The disease is continuing to spread among cattle in southwest France, where thousands of cases have been detected.