French authorities gas thousands of ducks after bird flu outbreaks

Workers wearing masks and protective clothes have gassed thousands of ducks in south-west France, in a massive cull that was ordered in an attempt to prevent a spread of the H5N8 bird flu virus.

At one farm in the village of Latrille, in the heartland of duck and geese rearing country, 8,000 ducks were taken by hand and put in coloured metal containers where carbon dioxide was piped in to kill them, normally within seconds.

Workers clad in head-to-toe protective suits, face-visors and gas masks, finished the slaughter in the space of a few hours.

France, which has the largest poultry flock in the European Union, has reported 95 outbreaks of the virus.

Most of the cull is taking place in and around the Gers area of south-west France, where geese and ducks are reared in vast numbers to make foie gras.

About 800,000 birds out of a population of about 18m in the whole of the south-west are due to be killed in the coming week.

Workers carry ducks before placing them in a bin filled with carbon dioxide at a poultry farm in Latrille, south-west France. Photograph: Bob Edme/AP

The operation is part of mass cull of poultry in France, which has reported 95 outbreaks of the H5N8 bird flu virus. Photograph: Bob Edme/AP

France, which has the largest poultry flock in the EU, has ordered the cull of ducks in its three most-affected regions. Photograph: Regis Duvignau/Reuters

French authorities gas thousands of ducks after bird flu outbreaks

190,000 ducks destroyed at six Dutch farms after bird flu outbreak

Some 190,000 ducks were destroyed on Saturday at six farms in the Netherlands following an avian flu outbreak, the country’s first cull in response to an epidemic sweeping northern Europe.

Outbreaks of avian flu, primarily the highly pathogenic H5N8 strain, have been reported in Denmark, Finland, Germany and Sweden over the past week.

Dutch authorities did not say what strain of the virus had been discovered at a poultry farm in the village of Biddinghuizen, 70km (43 miles) east of Amsterdam.

The cull was implemented at four other sites owned by the same company and at a sixth farm less than a kilometre from the site of the confirmed outbreak.

Officials said they were checking for bird flu at farms within three kilometres of the original site and imposed a ban on transporting poultry products within a 10km radius.

The world’s second largest agricultural exporter, the Netherlands has more than 100 million hens, pigs, cows and sheep on high-intensity farms. The density makes the animals more vulnerable to disease outbreaks.

Since 1997, 40 million hens, cows, goats, pigs and sheep have been slaughtered to contain outbreaks including swine flu, foot-and-mouth disease and BSE.

190,000 ducks destroyed at six Dutch farms after bird flu outbreak

Pet topics: can I buy Wellington boots for ducks?

A: There are several triggers of itchy skin: you require to concentrate on getting a distinct diagnosis of the result in. It may be worth asking your personal vet for a referral to a expert veterinary dermatologist while this may be costly in the brief term, in the long phrase you will save cash and time, and the dog’s discomfort will be relieved more rapidly. A change of diet plan will perform only if the itchy skin is triggered by an allergy to an ingredient in the diet, and you don’t need to have a raw-meat diet program to investigate this probability. Most vets stock a assortment of particular diets designed to make it straightforward to rule meals allergy “in” or “out”. Appropriately sourced raw-meat diets will not give your dogs worms, but this way of feeding dogs does not suit every owner and animal.

Q:I have two Birman cats who sometimes regurgitate undigested food due to fur balls, which I am treating. Have you any concept what dye/food colouring goes into cat food, specifically the dried selection? The colour stains the carpet brilliant yellow and is extremely challenging to remove.

JD, Worcestershire

A: If any person ever has queries about elements in a certain pet meals, it is greatest to get in touch with the manufacturer directly, both on the internet or by telephone they are normally approachable and helpful. Colors are occasionally used in pet meals, typically to redress the all-natural variations in colour that can stick to heat processing of foods and the wide range of raw resources employed – animal, fish and vegetable. Some additives are derived from naturally happening supplies (typically plants) and other individuals are artificial substances. There is rigid EU legislation governing what additives can be used in pet meals, based on security, technical require and efficacy. The yellow colour you describe may possibly not be from the foods – it’s typical for bile to be brought up from an animal’s stomach. This is a bright yellow colour and can lead to deep stains that are not easy to eliminate.

Q:Our 5-yr-outdated black Labrador, Lola, is very delicate to rain and/or thunder. She becomes visibly distressed, taking to her bed where she sits with her head hung reduced until the rain has passed. Her bed is in the conservatory and the rain on the roof is specifically loud, but she refuses to settle in a quieter area in the home. What can we do to minimise her nervousness?

AP, Henley-on-Thames

A: The prolonged-phrase answer is to consider to desensitise Lola to the sound of storms by utilizing a specially designed audio download of foul weather (see soundtherapy4pets.co.uk). You play this very quietly in the background as component of the household’s typical regimen, progressively growing the volume as she grows utilised to the sound above weeks and months. You should also talk to your vet about occasional use of anti-nervousness medication to give her in advance when you know a storm is coming. It would make sense to set up another bed for her, in a room that’s greater protected from the noise of the climate. If she gets utilized to the new bed as component of her regular regimen, she’ll be much more probably to settle there throughout a storm.

British charity saving tigers with veterinary expertise

Canine distemper virus is killing a single per cent of the Siberian tiger population, and is also suspected to be existing in tigers in Sumatra and Bangladesh. Wildlife Vets Global is involved in surveys for illness in tiger nations, offering guidance on preventing ailment transmission. To locate out more about this and other tasks, please visit wildlifevetsinternational.org.

Rescue pet of the week

Ossie is a 1-12 months-old Labrador who is seeking for a property with no younger children. Contact information@labrador-lifeline.com or contact 01256 884027.

To locate out about the outcomes of the rescued pets featured in this column, see Pet Topics Rescue

*Send pet difficulties to pete.wedderburn@telegraph.co.uk. All sick animals must, of program, be taken to a vet

Pet topics: can I buy Wellington boots for ducks?