|
 The disease, commonly called bird flu, has been found in several
European countries, decimating flocks with bruising losses for
farmers already hit hard by Covid-19.
Asia is also experiencing outbreaks of the same highly pathogenic
H5N8 strain as the livestock sector also reels from the deadly
African Swine Fever epidemic.
Russia said over the weekend it has registered the first case of
A(H5N8) bird flu being passed to humans from birds in seven workers
at a poultry plant, raising concern that the virus could mutate into
a human-to-human disease.
The disease tends to start in autumn, carried by migrating wild
birds on their way from Asia to Europe.
"The number of outbreaks has surged even more than in difficult
years," Monique Eloit, head of the World Organisation for Animal
Health (OIE), told Reuters.
Around 5 million birds have already been culled in Poland, the
European Union's largest poultry producer, data from the local chief
veterinary inspectorate showed.
The total represents a small fraction of the EU's poultry flock and
there is no sign yet of any shortage of chicken.
There were 6.4 billion chickens slaughtered for meat in the EU-27 in
2019, according to statistics issued by the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The loss of laying hens has, however, reduced the supply of eggs and
put some upward pressure on prices.
Prices for eggs on the wholesale market in Poland jumped by about
18% to 20% at the end of January, said Katarzyna Gawronska, the
director of the National Chamber of Poultry and Feed Producers.
Data issued by the European Commission show egg prices are also
rising in several other EU countries, including France and Germany,
although they remain weak in another major producing country, Spain.
"Taking into account the losses in poultry in Poland and throughout
Europe, the egg market has recently experienced a sharp price spike
- these prices were dormant earlier," Gawronska said.
Poland produced 648,000 tonnes of eggs in 2019, making it the
European Union's sixth largest egg producer, EU data showed.
[to top of second column] |
 German farmers were fearful of
export bans on their eggs.
Florian Anthes, spokesman for German poultry farming and industry
association ZDG, said there was concern about the prospect of export
curbs as keeping hens indoors for long periods to avoid the disease
would hit marketability of free-range eggs.
In 2019, prior to the COVID-19 epidemic, Germany exported about 1.7
billion eggs worth about 300 million euros mostly to the
Netherlands, Belgium, Poland and Austria, figures from German
agricultural agency BLE showed.
In France, bird flu had mainly hit duck farms in the southwest that
supply the foie gras industry. But the bird flu
crisis there has slowed in the past weeks after 3 million birds were
culled due to the disease, the farm ministry said. That represents
about 3.5% of the total number of ducks slaughtered each year in
France.
Other countries including Sweden and Germany have had to destroy
large flocks to prevent the virus spreading.Bird flu outbreaks, like
other animal diseases, often trigger trade restrictions.
That prospect forced some producers, including France's largest
poultry group LDC, to recall exports which were already on their way
to China.
However, importing countries' increasing approach to limit
restrictions to those regions affected by the virus were seen
softening the impact.
 To combat the disease farmers are ordered to ensure that nets to
keep out wild birds are installed properly, to disinfect facilities
and check hygiene regimes.
(Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide in Paris, Michael Hogan in
Hamburg, Agnieszka Barteczko in Warsaw, Bart Meijer in Amsterdam and
Hans Seidenstuecker in Frankfurt; editing by David Evans)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content |
