French animal health group Ceva has withdrawn a legal challenge over a tender to supply France with an avian influenza vaccine in which Ceva lost out to German company Boehringer Ingelheim, reported Reuters.

France chose Boehringer Ingelheim to supply 80 million doses of avian influenza vaccines needed for its initial vaccination campaign for ducks due to start in October. The plan will make France the first country in the European Union to vaccinate poultry against the virus that has ravaged flocks worldwide.

Ceva decided to drop its appeal against the tender result to avoid causing delays for the livestock sector in the vaccination campaign, the company said in a statement late last week.

The company is continuing discussions with the authorities over subsequent phases of the vaccination campaign and has already produced more than 10 million shots of its avian influenza vaccine for ducks, Ceva added.