Faced with the resurgence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in regions in Southwest France, as well as cash flow difficulties faced by farmers in the departments affected by the 2022-2023 epidemic, the French Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Marc Fesneau has decided to strengthen state support for the poultry sectors, according to a government-issued press release.

Health compensation covers the market value of animals slaughtered at the request of state services. They will also take into account the costs of cleaning and disinfecting buildings, routes, the destruction of corpses and farm products.

Deposits are paid on the estimate of the market value of the animals. The deposit rate increases nationally from 75% to 85% for slaughters ordered from May 1, 2023.

From July 2023, as part of the fight against the epizootic, in addition to this health compensation scheme, an advance will be deployed on the economic compensation schemes for livestock farmers located within the regulated areas. This advance, up to 50% of the estimated losses, will be paid during the summer in order to quickly provide support to livestock cash flow.

To strengthen and reaffirm its support for downstream poultry companies and specialised services also affected, the Ministry plans to put in place at the beginning of 2024, a compensation scheme that will cover part of the gross operating surplus losses incurred during the calendar year 2023 for companies with a significant link with the municipalities affected by the health restriction measures. The procedures for implementing this compensation scheme will be defined in consultation with the professional sectors.