France investigating sudden death of 4,000 chickens

[MHSC]

France investigating sudden death of 4,000 chickens

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/18/europe/EU_GEN_France_Bird_Flu.php

The Associated Press
Monday, December 18, 2006

PARIS

Tests were being carried out on Monday to discover why 4,000 chickens died suddenly on a French poultry farm, although initial indications did not point "particularly" to bird flu, the Agriculture Ministry said.


The chickens died Saturday night. The 3,500 other chickens on the farm in eastern France were symptom-free, the ministry said in a statement.
Initial test results were expected Tuesday. "Autopsy results do not particularly point the diagnosis toward avian influenza," the statement added.


Earlier this year, 45 countries imposed full or partial bans on poultry imports from France, Europe's largest poultry producer, after the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus hit a commercial poultry farm in the southeast of the country.

 

[HenryN]

Re: France investigating sudden death of 4,000 chickens

4000 CHICKENS DIED IN HAUTE-MARNE December 18, 2006 (LCI.fr, according to the agencies)
An emergency plan, of which all the details are not known yet, was all the same activated Sunday. The results of the analyses in progress at the laboratory of Ploufrangan, in Coast of Armor, are waited Tuesday. But the ministry for Agriculture declared Monday that the "clinical circumstances as the results of the autopsy particularly do not direct the diagnosis towards the aviary influenza". Some 4000 chickens died Saturday evening in an exploitation of Sarrey, whereas they were in good form the morning even, according to the contacted prefecture Sunday by the stockbreeder. The 3.500 saved chickens are in "full form and do not present any disorder", according to a source with the ministry. A member of the departmental direction of the veterinary services (DDSV) of Haute-Marne had explained before the official statement of the ministry for Agriculture that "en the absence of another explanation, one cannot dismiss the assumption of the aviary influenza". However, it affirmed that "en general, one has rather 20% of died the first day, 50% the second, etc.". By precaution and in accordance with the regulation, an emergency plan, of which all the details are not known yet, was activated Sunday. The single building where the chickens were high, located outside the village of Sarrey, is from now on interdict of access by the gendarmerie. The farm of Sarrey in which the dead animals were found had been useful in March of framework for a exercise of management of an aviary epidemic of influenza.

http://tf1.lci.fr/infos/sciences/sante/0,,3371466,00-4000-poulets-morts-haute-marne-.html

 

[HenryN]

Re: France investigating sudden death of 4,000 chickens

INTERROGATIONS AFTER The DEATH OF 4 000 CHICKENS IN HAUTE-MARNE December 18, 2006 (Monde.fr) "In the absence of another explanation, one cannot dismiss the assumption of the aviary influenza. One is obliged to speak about suspicion ", prudently explained a civil servant of the departmental direction of the veterinary services of Haute-Marne, Monday December 18. The ministry for agriculture however declared in an official statement that the "clinical circumstances as the results of the autopsy" practised on chickens died in an exploitation of Haute-Marne "particularly do not direct the diagnosis towards the aviary influenza but by measurement of precaution and in accordance with the regulation the suspect breeding was put under monitoring while waiting for the result of the analyses". Some 4 000 chickens were found died Saturday evening in a farm with Sarrey (Haute-Marne). The stockbreeder, whose 7 000 animals were in good health the morning, contacted the prefectoral services Sunday. Doubts In the doubt, taking away were sent to the laboratory of Ploufragan (Coast-in Armor), in order to determine the origin of the deaths. The results should be known Tuesday. An emergency plan, of which all the details are not known yet, was activated Sunday. The single building where the chickens were high, located outside the village of Sarrey, is from now on interdict of access by the gendarmerie. The farm of breeding had been useful in March of ground of exercise for a simulation of aviary epidemic of influenza.
http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3228,36-847141,0.html?xtor=RSS-3208

 

[HenryN]

Re: France investigating sudden death of 4,000 chickens

PARIS (Reuters) - Four thousand chickens died brutally in an industrial breeding of 7.500 birds in Haute-Marne and the medical authorities are unaware of for the moment the cause of this important mortality, declares one with the ministry for Agriculture. The assumption of an aviary of type H5N1, highly pathogenic hearth of influenza, however was dismissed, in the light of the clinical examinations and of the result of the autopsy, at Reuters a person in charge for the ministry indicated. The 3.500 saved chickens are in "full form and do not present any disorder", it added. By precaution and in accordance with the regulation, the suspect breeding was put under monitoring on standby of the results of analyses in progress in the Breton laboratory of reference. They are waited Tuesday. "the clinical circumstances as the results of the autopsy particularly do not direct the diagnosis towards the aviary influenza", underlines the ministry in an official statement. The 4.000 chickens died brutally Saturday evening in a farm of Sarrey which had been useful, in March, with a exercise of simulation of epizooty of aviary influenza. The first aviary case of influenza was discovered in Ain, in February in a breeding of 11.000 turkeys. No other hearth of virus H5N1 was discovered in France since.
http://today.reuters.fr/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-12-18T195520Z_01_GAR871544_RTRIDST_0_OFRTP-FRANCE-POULETS-20061218.XML&archived=False

 

[HenryN]

Re: France investigating sudden death of 4,000 chickens

France testing dead birds for flu
French authorities say they cannot rule out bird flu after 4,000 chickens died on a French farm on Saturday.
Officials have carried out tests on the dead birds found in Sarrey in the northeast Haute-Marne region, but the results are not expected until Tuesday.
The farmer says his flock of 7,000 chickens appeared healthy on Saturday morning, but by evening 4,000 had died.
France is the biggest poultry producer in Western Europe, breeding some 900m chickens, ducks and geese every year.
Poultry producers fear their Christmas sales could be badly affected if the latest cases are confirmed as bird flu, says the BBC's Caroline Wyatt in Paris.
Samples analysed
"In the absence of another explanation, we cannot rule out the theory of avian flu," an official of the French Veterinary Services Directorate told France-Info radio.
"We are obliged to speak of suspicion," he said.
The samples are now being analysed at France's main testing laboratory in Ploufrangon.
The French authorities have sealed off the farm as a precaution.
In March, the farm itself was used as the site of a government exercise on how to contain avian flu - when France was on high alert after migrating birds carrying the virulent strain H5N1 infected one poultry farm. Millions of birds have died or been destroyed as a result of outbreaks in dozens of countries since the H5N1 bird flu strain emerged in South-East Asia in 2003, before spreading to Europe and Africa.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/6191599.stm

Published: 2006/12/18 20:30:09 GMT

 

[hawkeye]

Re: France investigating sudden death of 4,000 chickens

the irony:

In March, the farm itself was used as the site of a government exercise on how to contain avian flu - when France was on high alert after migrating birds carrying the virulent strain H5N1 infected one poultry farm.

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: France investigating sudden death of 4,000 chickens

French poultry tests show no bird flu

Tue Dec 19, 2006 11:44 AM GMT

PARIS (Reuters) - Tests to see what caused the deaths of some 4,000 chickens on a farm in north eastern France have discovered no signs of bird flu, the French agriculture ministry said on Tuesday.

The birds died suddenly on Saturday while another 3,500 chickens at the same site appeared completely healthy.

"The preliminary results of the tests show an absence of the influenza virus," the ministry said in a statement, adding that more tests for other possible viral infections were continuing.

However, it added it was likely that a ventilation problem had caused the temperature to rise inside the building housing the chickens, causing the birds to suffocate.

The surviving chickens were still in a completely satisfactory state of health, the ministry said.

France has detected just one outbreak of bird flu in its poultry industry over the past year.

The environment ministry said last month it had classified as negligible the risk of its domestic poultry flock catching bird flu from migratory wildfowl.

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=globalNews&storyid=2006-12-

 

[hawkeye]

Re: France investigating sudden death of 4,000 chickens

Again, we must ask, what tests?

French bird flu scare evaporates

Veterinary experts in France say 4,000 chickens on a north-eastern farm did not die of bird flu.

The authorities were alerted on Monday about possible bird flu after the mysterious mass deaths of chickens on a farm at Sarrey, in Haute-Marne region.

The farmer said his flock of 7,000 chickens appeared healthy on Saturday morning, but by evening 4,000 had died.

The cause of death is still being investigated. France is the biggest poultry producer in Western Europe.

Poultry producers feared their Christmas sales could be badly affected if bird flu was confirmed.

However, the BBC's Caroline Wyatt in Paris says one theory is that the birds may have died from overheating when the ventilation for the chicken shed failed.

Samples from the Sarrey farm were analysed at France's main testing laboratory in Ploufrangon.

The French authorities sealed off the farm as a precaution.

In March, the farm itself was used as the site of a government exercise on how to contain avian flu - when France was on high alert after migrating birds carrying the virulent strain H5N1 infected one poultry farm.

Millions of birds have died or been destroyed as a result of outbreaks in dozens of countries since the H5N1 bird flu strain emerged in South-East Asia in 2003, before spreading to Europe and Africa.