- Title: FRANCE: France urges calm as H5N1 bird flu hits turkey farm
- Date: 25th February 2006
- Summary: ENTRANCE TO AGRICULTURE SHOW
- Embargoed: 12th March 2006 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: France
- Country: France
- Topics: Environment / Natural World,Health
- Reuters ID: LVAE4ERY83GRBGKTTXXG7EU0DGUI
- Story Text: President Jacques Chirac urged French people on Saturday (February 25) not to panic after the presence of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu was confirmed at a farm in the east of the country where thousands of turkeys had died. It was the first case of the virus in domestic farm birds in the European Union and threatened to deal a severe blow to France's struggling poultry industry, worth 6 billion euros (7 billion U.S. dollars) a year and the biggest in the bloc. Poultry sales in France are already down by about 30 percent and Japan has suspended all poultry imports from France. Chirac reiterated it was safe to eat cooked poultry after meeting farmers and veterinarians at an annual agriculture show in Paris. No poultry are on display this year because of safety concerns. French farm animal producers sounded worried after the presence of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu was confirmed. "We, as meat producers, also feel concerned by our poultry colleagues. We were hit five years ago by the mad cow disease which resulted in a large campaign against red meat. Was it a real problem or an advertising operation to damage our trade? Now it's the poultry colleagues who are targeted and we see consumption decrease from one day to the next", said Joel Maillet, a cattle exhibitor at the agriculture show. Authorities carried out safety controls and disinfected vehicles on the outskirts of Versailleux, the town where the country's first case of bird flu was confirmed. Roadblocks have been established along the perimeter of the farm so police and safety authorities can look for illegally transported animals and disinfect cars leaving the quarantine zone. Colonel Rebou, head of the regional police and the person in charge of the operation, said preventative measure are being taken to prevent the spread of the virus. "The measures we are implementing are very strict, we are only letting in the people who have an imperious reason to do so, mainly the inhabitants and those who do emergency work or supply basic services," said Rebou. Local sources said about 80 percent of the turkeys at the French farm, in a region famous for the quality of its chickens, had died. The remaining birds were culled. A security zone of three km (two miles) and a surveillance zone of seven km (five miles) has been set up around the farm.
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