23 October 2026
Following revisions to European Union regulations and assessments of past disease management campaigns, French agricultural authorities have eased and updated the post-vaccination monitoring framework for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) for the 2026/2027 cycle, which commenced on October 1, 2026.
The Dordogne Chamber of Agriculture highlighted that while viral contamination has not been eliminated entirely, preventative vaccination, first introduced in October 2023, has successfully curbed large-scale viral dissemination and heavy production losses. In departments with high duck densities such as Dordogne (where approximately 2.4 million ducks were vaccinated during the 2024/2025 campaign), these procedural adjustments under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/1073 introduce significant operational shifts for poultry producers.
Transition to Event-Driven Surveillance: Standard passive surveillance has been replaced by event-based monitoring. Poultry farmers must continuously observe flocks for abnormal behavioral changes, unexplained clinical symptoms, or mortality spikes. Any threshold breaches must be reported immediately to the designated farm veterinarian.
Reinforced Passive Surveillance in Regulated Outbreak Zones: If an HPAI outbreak occurs, farms situated in restricted protection and surveillance zones face heightened requirements. During weeks without routine veterinarian visits, farmers must collect tracheal or oropharyngeal swabs from 5 dead (or moribund/healthy) ducks. Force-feeding and fattening facilities (gavage) must also perform testing during the first 5 days of placement. Samples must be stored at +4°C (or –20°C) until laboratory submission, and diagnostic records must be retained for at least three years.
Revised Active Surveillance Protocols: Sanitary veterinarians remain responsible for monthly active surveillance starting 30 days after the initial vaccine dose. This entails a clinical evaluation and record audit of up to four farm buildings, along with swab sampling of 15 birds that died within 48 hours per building (capped at 60 samples for facilities with more than four buildings).
Mandatory Booster Dose in High-Risk Zones: Under Technical Instruction 2026-585, a third booster dose is required in designated Special Risk Zones (Zones à Risque Particulier – ZRP) across affected municipalities to maintain antibody titers under elevated viral pressure.
Cost Sharing and Financing: The French State maintains financial backing for mandatory active surveillance. However, producers remain responsible for the procurement, logistical transport, and administration of vaccines, as well as the costs for lab analyses under reinforced passive surveillance in regulated zones.
Source: Chambre d'agriculture de la Dordogne
