Farmers across France have blocked major highways and dumped manure near government buildings in a sustained protest against plans to vaccinate one million cattle against lumpy skin disease. The demonstrations intensified on Saturday after authorities ordered the culling of infected herds following reported outbreaks of the livestock disease, which cannot infect humans but is fatal for cattle.
Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard insisted that “to save the entire industry, slaughter is the only solution,” urging farmers to accept emergency vaccinations within a 50-kilometre radius while maintaining that state compensation would cover losses. The government’s strategy—mass culling followed by targeted vaccination—has drawn sharp criticism from agricultural unions, with left-wing Confédération paysanne calling the approach “more scary than the illness itself” and demanding an immediate end to animal culls.
Protesters blocked toll entrances on the A64 motorway in Hautes-Pyrenees and dumped manure near Tarbes’ administrative buildings, disrupting vaccination efforts. Coordination Rurale, a rival union, rejected blanket culling, asserting that “there is no question of culling animals in the Pyrenees that are not sick.” Leon Thierry, co-president of CR in the Pyrenees-Atlantiques, emphasized the need for targeted quarantine protocols instead of systematic animal deaths.
The government, supported by the main FNSEA union, maintains that culling infected herds is essential to prevent nationwide disease spread and avoid export bans that could devastate French agriculture. Farmers continue their campaign to halt what they describe as a reckless policy risking the sector’s survival.