France intensifies its fight against lumpy skin disease
The French Ministry of Agriculture is trying every possible way to stop the rapid spread of lumpy skin disease. Since the first case appeared in June, 32 infections have already been confirmed.
Immediately after the first report, the Ministry purchased a large number of vaccines from the European stockpile, ordered the culling of infected farms as quickly as possible, and has now also started mandatory vaccination in a wide area around the infected farms.
A race against time
Although France has been struggling with major outbreaks of bluetongue and epizootic hemorrhagic disease for some time, the minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, Annie Genevard, believes this new bovine disease to the country is more serious, both in terms of infection rate and consequences. She therefore called an emergency meeting of the special committee for animal disease control on Friday.
“We are in a race against time to eradicate the virus and prevent the entire French livestock population from becoming infected. These tough measures are unavoidable to protect our livestock. I am fully committed to supporting livestock farmers in the face of this serious, emerging disease.”
Mandatory vaccination and state support
In a wide area in and around the Savoie border region, where infections have so far been concentrated, mandatory vaccination began last week. Genevard thanked veterinarians for their immediate efforts. The state itself is paying for the vaccines and the veterinarians, including for check-ups. Furthermore, farmers will receive compensation for the culled animals, the state will arrange for the removal of carcasses, the costs of disinfecting the stables will be reimbursed, and farmers will subsequently receive support to bring in new livestock as quickly as possible.
Harsh interventions
The mandatory culling is encountering significant and often emotional problems. A farm with 120 Montbéliard cattle has been blocked for a week by the young farmer and a large number of supporters to deny access for culling. A neighboring colleague, after a similar action, finally granted the cullers access. “This is the worst thing that could happen to us; those cows were part of the family,” he says.
The small farmers’ association Confédération Paysanne also questions the harsh measures: “Given the experience in other European countries that were affected by this disease from 2015 to 2018, a more moderate approach is possible in consultation with the farmers.”
The farmers’ association FNSEA agrees with the culling but demands that compensation be “based on the actual market value of the animals” and that loss of production also be compensated. The federation does, however, urge “vaccination as soon as possible in this extremely difficult situation”.
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