Canada puts French poultry import ban in place

Oct 03, 2023

France is moving ahead with an avian flu vaccination campaign

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Canada is suspending all poultry imports from France, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced on Sept. 29.

The suspension came into effect Oct. 1 and is in response to France launching a poultry vaccination campaign against highly pathogenic avian influenza.

“The CFIA is currently conducting a risk assessment. The industry will be informed if and when there are further changes based on the risk assessment,” the CFIA said in its alert.

The European Union passed legislation in March to oversee the use of vaccines to mitigate the effects of avian flu.

And France provided Canada relevant vaccine campaign information in July, the CFIA says.

France began vaccinating ducks on Monday.

“It’s a moment of optimism, we have the feeling of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” Marc Fesneau, France’s minister of agriculture, told media, Reuters reported.

Duck farms where the birds are raised for meat and foie gras, that have more than 250 birds, must abide by the two-dose vaccine campaign.

In total, about 60 million ducks will receive vaccines over the next year.

France’s poultry industry suffered extensive losses because of avian flu.

In 2021-2022, an outbreak of avian flu led “to the culling of more than 21 million poultry and endangering the French avian gene pool,” the country’s ministry of agriculture said in April.

For comparison, avian flu in Canada has affected almost 7.7 million birds as of Sept. 21 of this year, CFIA data shows.

France isn’t a major poultry exporter to Canada.

In 2021, Canada imported about $328 million of poultry meat, the Observatory for Economic Complexity reports.

Of that figure, France accounted for about $2.27 million.

Canada isn’t the only country to impose temporary restrictions on French poultry.

Japan and the United States are among the others to take similar action.

“France’s decision to vaccinate presents a risk of introducing HPAI into the United States,” the USDA said on Sept. 29.

Video: Genomic Technologies and Public Trust - Dr. Ellen Goddard

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Ellen Goddard, Professor Emerita at the University of Alberta, discusses public acceptance of genomic technologies in pork production. She explains why disease resistance is viewed positively, how labeling affects trust, why farmers remain highly credible messengers, and how communication can shape consumer confidence around gene editing. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Not providing information is a choice that can affect long-term public trust."

Meet the guest: Dr. Ellen Goddard / ellen-goddard-11541138 is Professor Emerita at the University of Alberta and an agricultural economist. Her work focuses on consumer behavior, trust, livestock sectors, and public attitudes toward food technologies. She also specializes in economic modeling for pork, beef, and dairy systems. Learn more from Dr. Ellen Goddard on the Swine in Canada Podcast Show, available on all major platforms.