Bird flu: The next pandemic?

It has ravaged farms, decimated wild birds and spilled onto mammals. Could avian flu spark the next human pandemic? The Down to Earth team takes a closer look.

Ducks ‘most vulnerable species’ in France

Jean-Christophe Dardenne is a duck farmer in France's southwestern Gers region. Normally, his flocks would be used to roaming freely in the fields, but not anymore. A bird flu epidemic that has gripped Europe for over a year has forced authorities to impose a lockdown on farms across the country. It's been tough to handle, says Jean-Christophe, who doesn't have the necessary equipment to keep his animals indoors.

"Some flocks will never get to see the sun and daylight," he complains, adding that animals kept indoors will grow less quickly, leading to a loss in meat and foie gras production.

Jean-Christophe is among a lucky few to have been spared so far by the disease. But he lives in constant fear that one day the flu will be detected on his farm, and his ducks culled by local authorities.

"To me this type of management is absurd," he says. "It worries me a lot for the future."

Europe's worst outbreak

Read more on FRANCE 24 English

Read also:
Bird flu found in foxes near Paris, says animal health organisation
Tens of millions of birds culled, but avian influenza continues to spread
Largest global bird flu outbreak ‘in history’ shows no sign of slowing