Avian flu: the fattened duck sector is compelled to reduce the airfoil

At the end of the year, we will hear less the cackling of the ducks on certain territories of the South-West. In order to avoid a new episode of avian influenza, the foie gras sector has taken an unprecedented measure by choosing to reduce its production. Since 2015, this sector has suffered repeated crises. At the end of last year, the virus first hit farms in the South-West before attacking those in Pays de la Loire the following spring. This long crisis hit the two main French production areas for the first time, leading to the slaughter of 8 million ducks. It has also completely destabilized the sector because of the preponderant role of the Pays de la Loire, whose hatcheries usually supply 70% of ducklings to French farms.

“We cannot afford to experience a fifth crisis in a row”, breathes Marie-Pierre Pé, director of the Interprofessional Committee for Palmipeds with Foie Gras (Cifog). The interprofession applies the measures recommended by ANSES which, in its report published last June, called into question “the density of farms” as “a major factor in the spread of avian influenza”. Out of 362 outbreaks of avian influenza recorded in the South-West, three-quarters were in the Landes. A department in which breeders are extremely numerous and sometimes very close to each other, as in Chalosse, in the south of the department. Therefore, the recommendation of the health authority was clear: to reduce “the density of livestock, in periods of risk”.

Between December 15 and January 15, the most sensitive period for the spread of the pandemic, the farms of 68 municipalities in the Landes, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Gers and Hautes-Pyrénées will have been emptied of their animals. In total, 500,000 ducks which will be absent from farms at the start of winter. Each of them raises up to 8,000 animals at the same time for twelve or fourteen weeks. Most are members of large cooperatives such as Lur Berri, Maïsadour, Euralis, which dominate the market with their Labeyrie, Delpeyrat and Montfort brands.

Lack of ducklings

These breeders will be compensated 100%. “We support this initiative, which we believe is very interesting from a health point of view during this period of risk. Producers who refrain from producing will be compensated, ”explains the Ministry of Agriculture. With funds already provided as part of the aid plan for the sector for this 2021-2022 crisis, which amounted to 1.1 billion euros. The State ensures that it will also compensate, up to 50%, breeders whose production is affected due to the lack of ducklings. This plan, however, cringe on the side of small independent producers. “With this plan concocted by Cifog, we have the impression that the State is coming to the aid of industrial breeders. On the ground, this causes a lot of confusion and jealousy, ”says Christophe Mesplède, vice-president of Modef, a union which represents small producers in the Landes.

Heavyweight cooperatives in the sector are also suffering. Like Maïsadour, which is coming out of a heavy restructuring called the “rebound plan”, at the end of which it sold its salting activity to focus on foie gras with its Delpeyrat brand. If it has reduced the airfoil, it retains three slaughterhouses and three processing plants. An industrial apparatus which employs a total of 1,400 employees, for whom it has called on partial unemployment. On the other hand, unlike its competitors, the cooperative has not had to suffer too much from the lack of ducklings, which it produces thanks to hatcheries based in the South-West. “Even if, like everyone else, our breeders had a very short season to produce, we hope to achieve good sales at the end of the year and therefore see our market share increase,” said Eric Humblot, general manager of MVVH. , the gastronomy center of Maïsadour.

Difficulties also with other manufacturers such as Lafitte, a century-old company and number one in Label Rouge foie gras, distributed in all restaurants, supermarkets and through a network of eight shops. The 200-person company works with 80 local producers. She must also run her slaughterhouse, for the other producers. “We are strongly impacted on all our activities. Our breeders lacking ducklings, we only realize half of our normal activity, which is about 500,000 ducks per year. It is even lower for our service activity with the slaughterhouse, ”sums up, annoyed, the general manager of Lafitte, Fabien Chevalier.

Therefore, the profession focuses on end-of-year sales, which should allow it to achieve half of its sales. She also keeps a worried eye on the health situation, which remains worrying. While we are just at the beginning of autumn, several farms have already been affected in the west of France in recent days. “We hope to be less vulnerable, even if we cannot be sure of anything because we see that this virus is evolving quickly”, recognizes Eric Dumas, the president of Cifog.