French farmers protest as veterinarians cull diseased cows
Issued on: 13/12/2025 - FRANCE24
French farmers are protesting against the culling of cows infected with nodular dermatitis – widely known as lumpy skin disease – after veterinarians slaughtered a herd under police protection on Friday. Several unions, including the left-wing Peasant Confederation, have condemned the mass culls as "more scary than the illness itself," calling instead for an end to the slaughter and broader vaccination efforts.
Video by: FRANCE 24
Issued on: 13/12/2025 - FRANCE24
French farmers are protesting against the culling of cows infected with nodular dermatitis – widely known as lumpy skin disease – after veterinarians slaughtered a herd under police protection on Friday. Several unions, including the left-wing Peasant Confederation, have condemned the mass culls as "more scary than the illness itself," calling instead for an end to the slaughter and broader vaccination efforts.
Video by: FRANCE 24
Farmers clash with police in southwest France over mass cattle culls and trade fears
Farmers in southwest France blocked major roads overnight from Friday to Saturday, setting fire to hay bales and clashing with police in protest at government‑ordered cattle culls linked to an outbreak of lumpy skin disease.
Issued on: 13/12/2025 - RFI
Farmers in southwest France blocked major roads overnight from Friday to Saturday, setting fire to hay bales and clashing with police in protest at government‑ordered cattle culls linked to an outbreak of lumpy skin disease.
Issued on: 13/12/2025 - RFI
Farmers block part of the A64 motorway, during a demonstration in Carbonne, south-western France, on December 12, 2025. AFP - VALENTINE CHAPUI
According to authorities, two police officers were slightly injured when law enforcement used tear gas to disperse demonstrators occupying sections of the A64 motorway near Lescar and Carbonne.
The motorway was partially closed as dozens of tractors formed barricades and farmers said they would maintain the blockade through the weekend.
The protests mark a surge of anger across France’s farming sector, already under pressure from successive animal health crises and mounting economic strain.
Earlier this week, veterinary teams, accompanied by police, culled 207 cows in the département of Ariège after a new outbreak was detected.
French farmers protest over compulsory cattle culls amid disease outbreak
Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard defended the measures as “the only way to save the entire livestock sector.”
But the Confédération paysanne union condemned the government’s approach as “more frightening than the disease itself,” calling for nationwide blockades and widespread vaccination instead of mass slaughter.
The crisis coincides with renewed cases of avian flu in the Landes region, a key poultry‑producing area. Farmers are also warning of the potential impact of the pending EU‑Mercosur trade agreement, which they fear would open the door to unfair competition from South American producers operating under looser standards.
With possible cuts to EU farm subsidies under discussion and France facing a trade deficit for the first time in half a century, rural discontent is showing no sign of abating.
(With newswires)
According to authorities, two police officers were slightly injured when law enforcement used tear gas to disperse demonstrators occupying sections of the A64 motorway near Lescar and Carbonne.
The motorway was partially closed as dozens of tractors formed barricades and farmers said they would maintain the blockade through the weekend.
The protests mark a surge of anger across France’s farming sector, already under pressure from successive animal health crises and mounting economic strain.
Earlier this week, veterinary teams, accompanied by police, culled 207 cows in the département of Ariège after a new outbreak was detected.
French farmers protest over compulsory cattle culls amid disease outbreak
Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard defended the measures as “the only way to save the entire livestock sector.”
But the Confédération paysanne union condemned the government’s approach as “more frightening than the disease itself,” calling for nationwide blockades and widespread vaccination instead of mass slaughter.
The crisis coincides with renewed cases of avian flu in the Landes region, a key poultry‑producing area. Farmers are also warning of the potential impact of the pending EU‑Mercosur trade agreement, which they fear would open the door to unfair competition from South American producers operating under looser standards.
With possible cuts to EU farm subsidies under discussion and France facing a trade deficit for the first time in half a century, rural discontent is showing no sign of abating.
(With newswires)
'Stop the slaughter': French farmers block roads over cow disease cull
Mont-de-Marsan (France) (AFP) – Farmers in southwestern France blocked roads and set fire to bales of hay Saturday to protest the culling of cows due to a skin disease, as the government said one million cattle would be vaccinated.
Issued on: 13/12/2025 - FRANCE24
Mont-de-Marsan (France) (AFP) – Farmers in southwestern France blocked roads and set fire to bales of hay Saturday to protest the culling of cows due to a skin disease, as the government said one million cattle would be vaccinated.
Issued on: 13/12/2025 - FRANCE24
French farmers are angry over what they see as the government's heavy-handed response to the crisis © Gaizka IROZ / AFP
French farmers have been angry over what they see as the government's heavy-handed response to an outbreak of nodular dermatitis, widely known as lumpy skin disease.
On Friday, veterinarians slaughtered a herd of more than 200 cows in the village of Les Bordes-sur-Arize near the Spanish border after discovering a single case of the sickness. Police had to disperse angry farmers as they escorted in a team to carry out the culling.
French farmers have been angry over what they see as the government's heavy-handed response to an outbreak of nodular dermatitis, widely known as lumpy skin disease.
On Friday, veterinarians slaughtered a herd of more than 200 cows in the village of Les Bordes-sur-Arize near the Spanish border after discovering a single case of the sickness. Police had to disperse angry farmers as they escorted in a team to carry out the culling.
French farmers have been angry over what they see as the government's heavy-handed response to an outbreak of lumpy skin disease © Fred TANNEAU / AFP
Several unions have said that slaughtering whole herds is ineffective, calling for blockades across France "to put an end to this madness".
On Saturday, dozens of tractors blocked traffic, while others parked in front of public buildings, as farmers set fire to bales of straw and tyres.
Nearly 150 kilometres of the A64 motorway between Bayonne and Tarbes were closed to traffic due to blockades that began late Friday.
Lumpy skin disease, which cannot be passed to humans but can be fatal for cattle, first appeared in France in June.
- 'Lifetime of work' -
The official strategy to stamp out what the authorities describe as a very contagious disease has been to slaughter all animals in affected herds, and carry out "emergency vaccination" of all cattle within a 50-kilometre (30-mile) radius.
Several unions have said that slaughtering whole herds is ineffective, calling for blockades across France "to put an end to this madness".
On Saturday, dozens of tractors blocked traffic, while others parked in front of public buildings, as farmers set fire to bales of straw and tyres.
Nearly 150 kilometres of the A64 motorway between Bayonne and Tarbes were closed to traffic due to blockades that began late Friday.
Lumpy skin disease, which cannot be passed to humans but can be fatal for cattle, first appeared in France in June.
- 'Lifetime of work' -
The official strategy to stamp out what the authorities describe as a very contagious disease has been to slaughter all animals in affected herds, and carry out "emergency vaccination" of all cattle within a 50-kilometre (30-mile) radius.
French farmers say the government is not doing enough to protect them © Gaizka IROZ / AFP
"It's the extermination of cows and farmers," said Leon Thierry of hard-line farmers' union Coordination Rurale (CR), who protested in the town of Briscous with more than a dozen farmers and around 40 tractors.
"It is out of the question that in the Pyrenees we should slaughter animals that are not sick, that are healthy, because they belong to a herd from which, supposedly, a sick animal has emerged," he said.
Around a hundred farmers gathered in Carbonne located some 40 kilometres southwest of Toulouse, setting up camp on the A64 highway.
"They deploy riot police to kill 200 cows, but you don't see them at the drug-dealing spots!" said Benjamin Kalanquin, 24, who works not far from the farm where the entire herd was slaughtered.
"Total slaughter is not the solution," he said, vowing to camp on the motorway until Christmas "if there is no convincing response".
"People are fed up," added Benjamin Roquebert, 37.
"It's the extermination of cows and farmers," said Leon Thierry of hard-line farmers' union Coordination Rurale (CR), who protested in the town of Briscous with more than a dozen farmers and around 40 tractors.
"It is out of the question that in the Pyrenees we should slaughter animals that are not sick, that are healthy, because they belong to a herd from which, supposedly, a sick animal has emerged," he said.
Around a hundred farmers gathered in Carbonne located some 40 kilometres southwest of Toulouse, setting up camp on the A64 highway.
"They deploy riot police to kill 200 cows, but you don't see them at the drug-dealing spots!" said Benjamin Kalanquin, 24, who works not far from the farm where the entire herd was slaughtered.
"Total slaughter is not the solution," he said, vowing to camp on the motorway until Christmas "if there is no convincing response".
"People are fed up," added Benjamin Roquebert, 37.
Farmers of the CR47 union stand by a bonfire during a proteset in southwestern France © Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP
"You can't build up a herd in five minutes," added the cattle breeder and grain producer. "It's a lifetime of work, spanning several generations."
The protesters also say the government is not doing enough to protect them.
The European Union next week expected to sign on to a trade deal with South America that farmers say will flood the market with cheap agricultural products that will outcompete them.
"We're struggling, we can't eat, we can't even make 1,000 euros a month," said another protester, Aurelien Marti.
- Vaccination -
Around 70 farmers sounded their horns and set off firecrackers and smoke bombs in front of the agriculture minister's former parliamentary office in the eastern town of Pontarlier. They hung a dead calf from a tree with a sign saying "Our Animals, Our Life."
Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard said on Saturday the government planned to vaccinate one million head of cattle in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie regions.
"In the coming weeks, we will vaccinate nearly one million animals, thereby protecting farmers," she told Ici Occitanie radio.
Those vaccinations would be in addition to the million head of cattle already vaccinated since July, the agriculture ministry told AFP.
The culls have divided farmers' unions.
The leading FNSEA farming union supports the total culling of affected herds.
burs/as/jj
© 2025 AFP
"You can't build up a herd in five minutes," added the cattle breeder and grain producer. "It's a lifetime of work, spanning several generations."
The protesters also say the government is not doing enough to protect them.
The European Union next week expected to sign on to a trade deal with South America that farmers say will flood the market with cheap agricultural products that will outcompete them.
"We're struggling, we can't eat, we can't even make 1,000 euros a month," said another protester, Aurelien Marti.
- Vaccination -
Around 70 farmers sounded their horns and set off firecrackers and smoke bombs in front of the agriculture minister's former parliamentary office in the eastern town of Pontarlier. They hung a dead calf from a tree with a sign saying "Our Animals, Our Life."
Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard said on Saturday the government planned to vaccinate one million head of cattle in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie regions.
"In the coming weeks, we will vaccinate nearly one million animals, thereby protecting farmers," she told Ici Occitanie radio.
Those vaccinations would be in addition to the million head of cattle already vaccinated since July, the agriculture ministry told AFP.
The culls have divided farmers' unions.
The leading FNSEA farming union supports the total culling of affected herds.
burs/as/jj
© 2025 AFP
French farmers’ union calls for ‘blockades’ as cows slaughtered over skin disease
Police used tear gas to disperse protesting farmers Friday as veterinarians culled more than 200 cows infected with nodular dermatitis, or lumpy skin disease, at a farm in southern France. The deadly outbreak, which cannot be passed to humans, has sparked fears among locals and highlighted tensions over the government’s handling of the crisis. One of the main French farmers’ unions, Confédération paysanne, called for “blockades everywhere”.
Issued on: 12/12/2025
By: FRANCE 24
Video by: Shirli SITBON
Veterinarians arrived at a French farm Friday under police escort to slaughter a herd of cows suffering from a potentially deadly disease, an AFP reporter said, after police used tear gas to clear away angry protesters trying to protect the animals.
Farmers have staged protests in several parts of France in recent days, accusing the authorities of not doing enough to support them.
Hundreds of agricultural workers have demonstrated for two days outside the farm in the southern area of Ariege near the Spanish border.
They set up a cordon around the farm after the authorities on Wednesday said that more than 200 Blonde d'Aquitaine cows at the farm had nodular dermatitis – widely known as lumpy skin disease – and would have to be euthanised.
Gendarmes used tear gas late Thursday to fight their way past dozens of farmers who stayed after nightfall to blockade the farm in the village of Les Bordes-sur-Arize, while protesters hurled stones, branches and other makeshift missiles as hay bales burnt in the background.
WATCH MOREOne year after protests, French farming still in crisis
Four people were arrested, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said.
Several farmers and supporters had earlier chopped down trees and set up barricades to stop veterinary staff from entering to carry out the slaughter.
Regional prefect Herve Brabant said that the brothers who owned the farm had agreed to have the herd slaughtered in line with precautions against the disease.
But Pierre-Guillaume Mercadal, of the local Rural Confederation union leading the protest, said one brother had agreed and one was opposed.
"They are tearing this family apart," he said.
Police used tear gas to disperse protesting farmers Friday as veterinarians culled more than 200 cows infected with nodular dermatitis, or lumpy skin disease, at a farm in southern France. The deadly outbreak, which cannot be passed to humans, has sparked fears among locals and highlighted tensions over the government’s handling of the crisis. One of the main French farmers’ unions, Confédération paysanne, called for “blockades everywhere”.
Issued on: 12/12/2025
By: FRANCE 24
Video by: Shirli SITBON
Veterinarians arrived at a French farm Friday under police escort to slaughter a herd of cows suffering from a potentially deadly disease, an AFP reporter said, after police used tear gas to clear away angry protesters trying to protect the animals.
Farmers have staged protests in several parts of France in recent days, accusing the authorities of not doing enough to support them.
Hundreds of agricultural workers have demonstrated for two days outside the farm in the southern area of Ariege near the Spanish border.
They set up a cordon around the farm after the authorities on Wednesday said that more than 200 Blonde d'Aquitaine cows at the farm had nodular dermatitis – widely known as lumpy skin disease – and would have to be euthanised.
Gendarmes used tear gas late Thursday to fight their way past dozens of farmers who stayed after nightfall to blockade the farm in the village of Les Bordes-sur-Arize, while protesters hurled stones, branches and other makeshift missiles as hay bales burnt in the background.
WATCH MOREOne year after protests, French farming still in crisis
Four people were arrested, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said.
Several farmers and supporters had earlier chopped down trees and set up barricades to stop veterinary staff from entering to carry out the slaughter.
Regional prefect Herve Brabant said that the brothers who owned the farm had agreed to have the herd slaughtered in line with precautions against the disease.
But Pierre-Guillaume Mercadal, of the local Rural Confederation union leading the protest, said one brother had agreed and one was opposed.
"They are tearing this family apart," he said.
"Confédération paysanne is calling for blockades everywhere! Farmers, agricultural workers, unionised and non-unionised workers, pensioners, citizens... Agriculture and food are everyone's business", said the union on X on December 12, 2025. © Confédération paysanne via X
Several unions have called that approach ineffective, with the left-wing Confédération paysanne on Friday saying it was "more scary than the illness itself", urging an end to the culls and more vaccinations. "Confédération paysanne is calling for blockades everywhere! Farmers, agricultural workers, unionised and non-unionised workers, pensioners, citizens... Agriculture and food are everyone's business," said the union on X.
But the authorities have stood by their plan.
"To save the entire industry, slaughter is the only solution," Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard on Friday told Le Parisien newspaper.
Farmers also plan to drive tractors to Brussels on Thursday next week to vent, as the European Union decides whether to authorise a free-trade agreement with South American trade bloc Mercosur. The so-called Mercosur deal has been two decades in the making.
WATCH MOREEU inches closer to trade deal with Latin America: Fair prices or Mercosur crisis?
The pact will allow the European Union to export more vehicles, machinery, wines and spirits to Latin America, while facilitating the entry of South American beef, sugar, rice, honey and soybeans into Europe.
'In shock'
Marina Verge, 33, the daughter of one of the owners, on Wednesday said that killing the cows amounted to destroying "almost 40 years" of their life's work.
"They're in shock, it's unimaginable. They didn't expect it," she said.
"You don't imagine finding yourself without livestock overnight."
Other cases have also been detected in the region and some 3,000 of the 33,000 cattle in Ariege have already been vaccinated.
READ MOREThe mental health crisis pushing French farmers to a breaking point
Lumpy skin disease, which cannot be passed to humans but can be fatal for cattle, first appeared in France in June. French authorities insist the outbreak is under control and that they are preparing a mass vaccination programme.
The World Organisation for Animal Health says that cases have also been reported in Italy this year.
According to the European Food Safety Authority, the disease is present in many African countries.
In 2012, it spread from the Middle East to Greece, Bulgaria and the Balkans. A vaccination programme halted that epidemic.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Several unions have called that approach ineffective, with the left-wing Confédération paysanne on Friday saying it was "more scary than the illness itself", urging an end to the culls and more vaccinations. "Confédération paysanne is calling for blockades everywhere! Farmers, agricultural workers, unionised and non-unionised workers, pensioners, citizens... Agriculture and food are everyone's business," said the union on X.
But the authorities have stood by their plan.
"To save the entire industry, slaughter is the only solution," Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard on Friday told Le Parisien newspaper.
Farmers also plan to drive tractors to Brussels on Thursday next week to vent, as the European Union decides whether to authorise a free-trade agreement with South American trade bloc Mercosur. The so-called Mercosur deal has been two decades in the making.
WATCH MOREEU inches closer to trade deal with Latin America: Fair prices or Mercosur crisis?
The pact will allow the European Union to export more vehicles, machinery, wines and spirits to Latin America, while facilitating the entry of South American beef, sugar, rice, honey and soybeans into Europe.
'In shock'
Marina Verge, 33, the daughter of one of the owners, on Wednesday said that killing the cows amounted to destroying "almost 40 years" of their life's work.
"They're in shock, it's unimaginable. They didn't expect it," she said.
"You don't imagine finding yourself without livestock overnight."
Other cases have also been detected in the region and some 3,000 of the 33,000 cattle in Ariege have already been vaccinated.
READ MOREThe mental health crisis pushing French farmers to a breaking point
Lumpy skin disease, which cannot be passed to humans but can be fatal for cattle, first appeared in France in June. French authorities insist the outbreak is under control and that they are preparing a mass vaccination programme.
The World Organisation for Animal Health says that cases have also been reported in Italy this year.
According to the European Food Safety Authority, the disease is present in many African countries.
In 2012, it spread from the Middle East to Greece, Bulgaria and the Balkans. A vaccination programme halted that epidemic.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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