The supply of game birds from France to the UK was heavily disrupted in the spring due to import restrictions and lack of supply arising from an exceptionally severe outbreak of bird flu in northern France. Game bird production in France is centred on the Pays de la Loire region, particularly the departments of Vendée and Loire Atlantique. Both of these departments have already begun to record bird flu cases. Since the first of August, which is considered to be the new bird season in France, Vendée has recorded 12 cases and Loire Atlantique has recorded two. While these cases may drop off as winter progresses, it is more typical for case numbers to increase as weather becomes colder and more migrating wildfowl arrive. The French government has now raised the risk level for bird flu from ‘moderate’ to ‘high’. Explaining this decision, Marc Fesneau, Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, said: “In a context marked by unprecedented persistence of the virus in th
Pheasants test positive for avian flu as experts warn against release of millions of game birds
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Does the release of game birds into the UK countryside risk spreading avian flu?
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The Atlantic surface pressure chart is strangely fascinating. It’s produced by the Met Office to show isobars, depression and fronts. You can play a time-lapse of the charts over several days, watch the big winter storms spin their way across the Atlantic and try to guess from their trajectory where they will come ashore. If the jet stream pushes them to the north, the Hebrides will cop it; if they are further south, Cornwall and Devon will be slammed. With the same ominous inexorability as when the tightly packed isobars hurtle across the sea, a big economic storm has been gathering. And its particular course looks set to hit shooting very hard indeed; there is no escaping the fact that the impact will be felt in the pocket of the individual Gun. Dominic Boulton of the Game Farmers’ Association said: “It’s a perfect storm in many ways. Every cost associated with gamebird rearing has gone up significantly, including labour, food, gas and fuel and they are still rising.” 202