The outbreak in France will halt output of the delicacy for four months as the government trys to contain the disease
PARIS, France (Reuters) — French foie gras lovers will have to pay more for the delicacy this year due to the recent bird flu outbreak in southwestern France that will halt output for four months, producers said.
France’s favourite festive season treat has been hit by the government decision to freeze duck and geese farming as it aims to contain the virus, which had hit eight departments in the country’s top foie gras region since late November.
The suspension in rearing, set to last until mid-May, will mean nine million birds, mostly ducks, will not be reared and will lead to a fall in foie gras output of at least 25 percent, French foie gras producers’ group CIFOG said.
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“There will be a rise in prices, it’s inevitable,” CIFOG chair Christophe Barrailh said. “But the impact on retail prices must be put into perspective,” he added, noting French households spend an average of 29 euros (C$45) each on foie gras per year.
France is by far the world’s largest foie gras producer and consumer. The southwestern region accounts for 71 percent of total output, CIFOG said.
More than a dozen countries, including Japan, the world’s largest importer of foie gras, imposed restrictions on French foie gras after the bird flu outbreaks.
Provided no new case of the virus is found, producers peg the loss to exports at 1,500 tonnes, worth about $60 million.
“We are basing our estimate on a hypothesis where we will be able to export before Christmas,” Jean-Jacques Caspari, head of Rougie, a brand of the world’s largest foie gras maker Euralis, said on the sidelines of a CIFOG news conference. “It may not be the case.”
Imports, coming mainly from Hungary and Bulgaria, would benefit, but would not compensate for lost French output.
The $3 billion industry see the costs of the crisis at $755 million, of which $415 million is in direct losses.
Another $340 million would need to be invested in farms to meet new health protection measures expected to be imposed nation-wide next week, CIFOG’s director Marie-Pierre Pe said.
Foie gras is made from geese and duck livers that have been fattened with grain, usually by force feeding. Sold whole or as a pate, it is considered a gourmet food in both western and Asian cuisine, but the practice of force-feeding has often been criticized as cruel by animal activists.
