French farmers protest mass cow cull with manure, roadblocks
The protests have erupted in response to authorities’ use of police forces and the mass slaughter policy aimed at containing nodular dermatitis, commonly known as lumpy skin disease. Tensions escalated after veterinarians culled over 200 cows in a village near the Spanish border following the detection of a single case, with police deploying tear gas to disperse farmers who tried to protect their livestock.
"New blockades are under way," said Bertrand Venteau, head of a hard-line farmers’ union. "It's continuing and spreading."
While the main national farming union has expressed support for the government’s measures, other farmer organizations are calling for demonstrations and advocating for a wide vaccination campaign instead. Critics argue that the current approach is ineffective and often destroys years of farmers’ work.
On the A64 motorway, which has been blocked since Friday evening by tractors, farmers even set up Christmas trees. "We're here to spend the holidays," said Cedric Baron, a cattle farmer.
Around 50 farmers also blocked the N88 highway near Albi. "We are at war," declared another protester, Cedric Nespoulos. "As long as the government does not give up on mass slaughter, we will be here."
In Millau, farmers doused the front of a government building with liquid manure while piling hay, tires, and garbage outside. Theo Alary, a sheep farmer, criticized the culling strategy: "Culling animals just like that, with a snap of the fingers, riot police everywhere, we're kicking everyone out and killing everyone," he said. "What is this?"
Regional leader Carole Delga, whose area has been the epicenter of the outbreak, urged the prime minister to intervene to prevent further escalation. "With each passing hour, indignation and anger are rising inexorably in the face of people's despair," she said in an open letter. She added, "It is time for you to intervene to ensure, as soon as possible, a frank and sincere dialogue with the farmers," noting that the public is "shocked" by images of mass slaughter and heavy police presence.
A government spokeswoman stressed that authorities are following “the most effective health protocol” and that law enforcement would intervene if necessary. "Three thousand animals have been slaughtered since the outbreak of this disease, and we know that this is a tragedy," she said.
"However, this represents 0.02 per cent of the French livestock population and allows us to protect the rest."
Lumpy skin disease, which is fatal for cattle but not transmissible to humans, first appeared in France in June. The official response has included the culling of infected herds and emergency vaccination within a 50-kilometer radius. Authorities plan to vaccinate around one million cattle in the affected regions, with the Agriculture Minister scheduled to visit Occitanie to oversee the start of the campaign.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
