Dordogne farms are starting to be restricted in palmiped droppings. Enough to raise fears of a shortage of foie gras at Christmas.
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They are still only a handful, but their hacks are noisy enough to be noticed. After three months of sanitary emptiness imposed by the measures taken within the framework of the fight against avian influenza which affected the Dordogne in the spring, the Canetons are back on the domain of Loqueyssie, the farm created from scratch by Valérie Dumaure and her husband in the village of Grange-d’Ans, northeast of Périgueux. “We received a first batch of 280 barbarism ducks on July 6, a few days after the lifting of the restrictions in force in our area, then a second of equivalent size on July 26”, details Valérie Dumaure, relieved “to see life Return slowly on his farm “.
Admittedly, it is not with 560 Canetons that the couple of breeders can reconstruct their stocks, or almost non -existent. But at least he will have the satisfaction of being able to honor the orders of his customers at Christmas. “It is in itself a great chance, recognizes M Me dumaure, aware of belonging to a minority of privileged. Quickly that if we needed to supply ourselves with mulards, more common and highly requested. All the farm that usually were struggling at that time to find Canetons. “
decimated reproductive animals
In Dordogne, between April and June, forty-five Aviary Influenza households were detected, and nearly 400,000 poultry, essentially palmipeds, were euthanized because sick, or as a preventive basis. Since then, the Dordogne “has been one of the three departments, with the lot and the Lot-et-Garonne, where to obtain a day of a day is almost impossible mission”, is alarmed by Patrice Marcelly, the Director of Terres du South, one of the largest cooperatives for the production of southwest palmipeds.
Conversely of the Landes, which have a hatch, the Périgord pays no more or less than its dependence on the accoutors of the Vendée or the Deux-Sèvres. The avian epizootic which raged in these two departments during the winter of 2021 decimated the breed animals. Assessment: Little or no eggs in the covers, forced to deliver the rare specimens available in droppings.
In Coulounieix-Chamiers, near Périgueux, the cover of the Peyrouse farm, adjoining agricultural high school, is still waiting for a delivery of eggs that does not come. “The activity has been stopped for several weeks,” explains Eric Botiveau, the head of the estate, from which usually come out, per year, between 500,000 and 600,000 Canetons a day.
The poultry sector sinks into a desert of which it will probably not see the end before spring 2023. “The animals that are lacking today for breeders will miss the gavers tomorrow,” warns Olivier Palencher, Gavorer à Vergt, South of Périgueux and president of the Périgord duck producers’ association, created in April 2022 to help professionals affected by the virus and its consequences. “At best, presumes the interested party, the force -feeding can resume in the fall.” Too late to guarantee foie gras in reasonable quantities at Christmas. “We will have 70 % less volume for the holidays,” concludes Mr. Marcelly.