The French Ministry of Agriculture said on Friday that with the spread of bird flu in Europe, the French government has placed the entire country on high alert.
This will extend the requirement to keep poultry flocks indoors, a measure that has been implemented in certain areas since September.
The ministry added in a statement that three cases have been found in backyard birds in northeastern France, adding:
Since the beginning of August, 130 cases or clusters of avian influenza have been detected in wild animals or farms in Europe. Therefore, enhanced preventive measures will be implemented to protect poultry farms.
The ministry stated that it will adjust the requirements for keeping chickens indoors to take into account production practices such as free-range breeding.
Elsewhere in Europe, Dutch authorities ordered commercial farms to keep all chickens indoors after reporting bird flu on a farm last week.
The ministry added that France’s measures will not threaten the country’s bird flu-free status that it acquired in early September following the previous wave of bird flu.
Last winter, France culled about 3 million birds in its southwest duck breeding area, as it was struggling to deal with the spread of the virus from wild birds to poultry.
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