Heatwave - hundreds of thousands of poultry died; French farmers, completely overwhelmed

The heat wave affecting Western Europe is having severe effects not only on the population but also on agriculture. In France, extreme temperatures have led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of poultry, putting pressure on the entire livestock waste management chain and prompting authorities to consider emergency measures, including on-farm burial, reports Reuters. The phenomenon is reported in the context of an unprecedented heatwave episode, in which temperatures reached 44.3°C in some areas, according to recent meteorological data.

• Massive mortality in poultry farms

According to the French poultry industry, losses are particularly significant in the Brittany and Pays de la Loire regions, the country's most important poultry-producing areas.

"In our two regions with the highest poultry production, we are seeing excessive mortality due to the heat," said Yann Nedelec, representative of the French poultry industry group ANVOL. He stated that the phenomenon affects both industrial and free-range farms, estimating losses of at least several hundred thousand animals, although final figures are not yet available.

• A collection system outpaced by the magnitude of the phenomenon

Dead animals are normally collected and transported to specialist slaughter facilities. But the current scale of mortality has exceeded the capacity of services. The Chambers of Agriculture in the affected regions reported that the collection system is overloaded and can no longer cope with the volume of carcasses. In some cases, farmers have been advised to cover the dead animals with absorbent materials such as sawdust or wood chips until they are collected.

• Burial at the farm, breakdown solution

The authorities are considering authorizing direct burial on farms, but only under strict environmental conditions and after technical checks. The measure would be an exceptional one, designed to avoid the sanitary and logistical risks generated by the rapid accumulation of deaths. The situation in the farms comes against the background of a wave of heat waves affecting several European states, causing: deaths among the population; closing schools; power outages; disruptions to agriculture, including night-time grain harvesting. In some areas of France, extreme temperatures have exceeded historical thresholds, amplifying the impact on ecosystems and agriculture.

• Increasing pressure on the agricultural sector

France is the third largest producer of poultry in the European Union, after Poland and Spain, and the high concentration of production in certain regions means that the effects of heat waves are amplified. Experts warn that such extreme episodes, becoming more frequent in the context of climate change, will put increasing pressure on intensive farms, veterinary infrastructure and food distribution chains.