PARIS, France – French authorities have raised their alert level to address the threat of an avian influenza outbreak after new outbreaks were detected in several rural areas, prompting the Ministry of Agriculture to declare a state of emergency and impose strict quarantine measures to protect livestock.
In an official statement, the ministry said France has moved to a “high risk” level, the highest level of preparedness. The decision requires breeders to keep birds indoors and prohibit their movement between regions, while tightening health controls at markets, slaughterhouses, and poultry and egg distribution centers.
Authorities emphasized that the goal of these measures is to limit the spread of the virus and avoid the devastating losses the country has experienced in recent years, when France was forced to cull millions of birds to control the epidemic.
This escalation comes amid European fears of a repeat of the waves of infection that struck the continent last year, amid warnings that cold weather and wild bird migration could accelerate the spread of the virus in the coming weeks.
