France's farm ministry has announced the purchase of an additional round of bird flu vaccines for ducks deemed to be at risk.
The decision comes in response to new scientific evidence and aims to prevent a surge in outbreaks.
Following the detection of new cases, Paris has raised the risk level of bird flu to high, resulting in poultry farms being required to house their animals indoors.
The ministry stated that adjustments to the vaccination protocol will be made to ensure optimal protection of the animals and to avoid any widespread outbreak.
The revised protocol involves administering three doses of the vaccine until March 15, 2024, focusing on areas identified as being at risk and targeting mulard ducks.
Mulard ducks, which are a combination of two different domestic ducks, are commonly used for meat and, controversially, for foie gras.
The duck vaccination program was initially launched in October, aiming to administer two doses to a total of 60 million ducks over the course of a year.
Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim, the chosen manufacturer by France for the vaccine production, has announced that the decision to administer a third shot was made based on careful monitoring after vaccination.
The monitoring revealed a concerning spread of bird flu and a decline in the immunity of ducks at 11 weeks of age.
