French poultry farmers face new cull to contain bird flu crisis across Europe       

Europe has been facing a grim season, with outbreaks of bird flu in more than two dozen countries since October, risking higher chicken prices and fewer-free range eggs. Picture: Mark Stedman/RollingNews.ie

French poultry farmers face a mass cull of their flocks for a second straight year as a bird flu crisis deepens across Europe.

The government ordered poultry and waterfowl in parts of the south-west – home to France’s famed foie gras industry – to be killed to help stop the spread of the disease. That follows a severe outbreak that claimed about 3.5m poultry, mainly ducks, between autumn 2020 and spring 2021.