The French poultry division has been reportedly losing 40M euros every month because of the global fear for the bird flu virus. Several countries all over the world have decided to stop importing poultry from the biggest poultry sector in Europe causing a 30% drop in sales.
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exporter, importer, international trade, imports, exports
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The French poultry division has been reportedly losing 40M euros every month because of the global fear for the bird flu virus. Several countries all over the world have decided to stop importing poultry from the biggest poultry sector in Europe causing a 30% drop in sales.
The H5N1 bird flu outbreak in a certain turkey farm located in the eastern side of France has prompted over 40 countries to impose trade restriction of poultry products from France. An estimated 30 cases caused by the deadly virus in the said area has been reported. This restriction has caused an excess of 20,000 tons of poultry, which is equivalent to 2 weeks of production by a slaughter house, to pile France’s domestic market. According to the Poultry Producers Federation, the drop in poultry consumption has previously damaged the industry and now with several countries imposing a ban on imports, the situation has worsened. At the dawn of the New Year, the sales were down by 20 percent, now it is down by almost 35 percent.
Canada, one of the countries that imposed a restriction, has tested 8 local farms that have imported fowls from France. The results all turned out negative according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said on Thursday. As part of the routine, poultry farms in Quebec have been quarantined after importing 20,000 birds from France. The quarantine will be imposed for 30 days, which is a standard in animal imports.
The H5N1 is a subtype of avian influenza virus. This is what is commonly referred to as the "bird flu." This virus is spread easily by the avian population. Humans who have contracted this virus have been reported to have been in physical contact with infected birds. The proliferation of this virus may be caused by the migration of birds such as ducks and swans from one country to another. It is also spread through domestic poultry, which is used for trading. Chickens are usually the culprit for passing the bird flu to humans. Waterfowls are usually responsible for passing the virus to the birds they come in contact with during their migration period. Infected birds pass on this virus through bodily fluids, mucus excretion, and fecal substances.
Since the carriers of this virus are migratory birds, it is easily spread around the globe. In the past, outbreaks have been reported in Southeast Asia but there have been a number of incidents where other countries experience bird flu outbreaks as well, such as France.
