Lascaux IV exhibition nears completion After three years of painstaking work, the Lascaux IV recreation of the world famous cave paintings is nearing completion >> Page 4
Dordogne February 2016 - Issue #32
Government shuts down poultry farms As the bird flu crisis worsens and more countries place bans on French poultry imports, the government has forced duck and goose farms across south-west France to close. The move will cost the industry hundreds of millions.
A
s the country battles against the recent outbreak of bird flu that has swept across south-west France, poultry producers in the Dordogne have been ordered to halt duck and goose production. The Ministry of Agriculture said farmers would be allowed to continue raising birds they already own, but may not take on new ducklings and goslings until farms are totally cleaned and disinfected. The order concerns all the departments of Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrénées, as well as the Haute-Vienne and Corrèze. After the first case of bird flu was reported at a Dordogne farm near Biras in November, the virus quickly spread across the region. In response to the growing crisis, the government created a “restriction zone”, within which the movement of
poultry - the most common way for the virus to be spread - was restricted. Authorities also began implementing strict cleaning and disinfection programmes for the premises and equipment of all poultry farms. The new moves go one step further, however, and will come as a major blow to the industry. The process of specially fattening geese and ducks to produce foie gras takes 12 to 15 weeks, and once the current stock has been processed, the farmers must halt production while their farms are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. This means that the latest order will effectively shut down production of the controversial delicacy until early summer. One consolation to farmers will be that, if all goes well, they should be able to increase their stock levels in time for Christmas and New Year - peak season for foie gras
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INSIDE > > > NEWS - Terrestrial TV goes HD
From 5th April, French terrestrial TV will only be available in high definition. Not all TVs are compatible, so are you ready for the switch? >> Page 3
NEWS - Toulon in shock Premiership bid
France's most successful rugby club of recent years has unveiled a shock bid to join England's Aviva Premiership. >> Page 7
FRENCH LIFE - No more AZERTY?
After driving generations of French speakers to madness, the government has announced it is to review the layout of the AZERTY keyboard >> Page 11
The Bugle Business Directory
A local historian has revealed that Queen Elizabeth II holds the title >> Page 4 of Dame de Bergerac
We all have bad habits. Develop a healthy one that actually saves you money!
4- pages of listings for local English-speaking businesses - your essential guide to finding just what you’re looking for >> Pages 15-18
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