The French government has moved to shelter and confine all poultry as the country is placed at ‘high risk’ considering the recent spread of avian influenza (bird flu) across the European continent

Julien Denormandie, French Minister for Agriculture and Food, enforced these preventative measures in a statement released today, Friday, November 5.

"I therefore appeal to everyone's responsibility."

The measures include:

There are also procedures in place for zoos and pigeon racing.

The French government notes that this does not call into question the ‘avian influenza-free’ status of France.

Since the beginning of August, according the French government, 130 cases or outbreaks of bird flu have been detected in wildlife or in farms in Europe, including France.

The outbreaks are believed to be caused by migrating wild birds carrying the disease as they travel across countries.  

In Ireland, a highly pathogenic case of bird flu was confirmed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) in a wild bird in Galway yesterday.

Other countries with identified cases include Italy; Germany; the Netherlands; Estonia; Poland; and Denmark.

Yesterday (November 4), chief veterinary officers for England, Scotland and Wales declared an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) across the whole of Great Britain (GB) following a number of identified cases in GB in both captive and wild birds.

While bird flu is a zoonotic disease - meaning it can be spread between animals and humans - this is extremely rare, and the risk of this is currently low.