Paris - (AFP) - The French Ministry of Agriculture said Monday that since the start of the bird flu epidemic in November, 16 million domestic birds have been slaughtered in France, a record number.

However, the ministry indicated that "the peak of the epidemic at the end of March has been passed, and the speed of its spread has slowed down."

Since the first case was recorded in northern France at the end of November, more than 1,300 farms have been infected with the virus, especially in the Vendée, western France, and in the neighboring departments, where the authorities emptied farms by slaughtering large numbers of infected, but also uninfected birds as a precautionary measure. .

The crises associated with avian influenza remain generally confined to southwestern France, particularly to duck farms dedicated to the production of foie gras.
Last year, nearly 500 outbreaks were recorded on farms and 3.5 million birds, mostly ducks, were slaughtered.

Avian influenza is a seasonal disease transmitted by migratory birds from Asia. It usually appears in October in Europe and lasts until April.
But for the first time, wild birds brought the disease to farms this year as they migrated from countries in the south, leading to a second wave coming to an end.