Faced with the spread of the contagious lumpy skin disease in French livestock farms, the Minister of Agriculture raises her voice against “some irresponsible behavior” that compromises “the efforts” to combat the bovine epizootic.
Last Friday, the Ministry of Agriculture announced a drastic tightening of restrictions on livestock movements, while recently some occasional outbreaks have been identified in the Rhône, the Pyrénées-Orientales or the Jura, far from the initial epicenter of Savoy which today appears unscathed. The ministry later justified its decision by estimating that such a situation on French territory was “probably the result of animal movements, some of which were illegal.”
Reinforced measures
In addition to the already existing ban on the movement of animals within regulated zones, all live cattle exports outside France have been suspended until November 4, an announcement received as a “massive blow” by agricultural unions. Fairs, competitions and exhibitions have also been banned throughout metropolitan France, as have livestock markets in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Burgundy-Franche-Comté and Occitania.
“I say it firmly: respecting the rules is our best weapon to eradicate the contagious lumpy skin disease,” said the Minister of Agriculture, Annie Genevard, this Tuesday in a message published on her social networks.
Assuring that it measures “the great sacrifices required by health standards”, the minister nevertheless insisted that they are “indispensable” and “very widely understood and applied” by livestock farmers. “Some irresponsible behavior endangers all breeders and delays the return to normality. I will not allow some to compromise the efforts of an entire profession,” argued Annie Gevenard, warning that “those who do not respect them will be severely punished.”
“Sanctions will fall”
These sanctions translate into a fine in case of non-compliance with movement limitation measures, with an increase in case of recidivism, as well as the absence of compensation by the State for depopulation – that is, the systematic slaughter of the herd within an identified focus – if the infection results from prohibited behavior.
As of October 20, 2025, 88 outbreaks had been detected since the appearance of the disease in France, spread across some sixty farms in six departments.
Source: BFM TV
