PARIS, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- France has recorded 369 clusters of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry farms since last November, the French Agriculture Ministry announced on Thursday.
Since the beginning of the outbreak in November last year, almost 4.18 million birds have been culled, including 3.44 million birds in south-west France, the country's main poultry production region, said the ministry in a press release.
Given the "favorable epidemiological development," the ministry foresees a re-establishment of poultry from March 29, after 30 days' systematic cleaning and disinfection operations, and a minimum three-week fallowing.
The re-entry of young poultry will be subject to heightened surveillance for an additional three weeks, it added.
France saw an outbreak of HPAI between autumn 2020 to spring 2021, during which 492 clusters were detected in poultry farms. The government ordered the cull of some 3.5 million birds, mostly ducks, in its south-west region. ■