Undisputed stars among visitors, cows are absent from agricultural fairs. As the contagious lumpy skin disease spreads in cattle herds, the Ministry of Agriculture has tightened the screws to block its path: exhibitions, fairs and other agricultural festivals will have to do without the presence of cows until early November, a deadline that could be postponed if by then the bovine disease has not diminished sufficiently in mainland France.
The Limoges Limousin Days (October 18-20), like the Espezel fair (October 18-19) in Aude, were forced to give up the presence of cows in their halls. In the coming days, the Tous Paysans fair in Alençon (October 25-26) and the Agrimax fair in Metz (October 29-31) will also be held without presentations or livestock competitions. In Besançon, the organizers of Vache de salon (November 21 to 23) have decided to cancel the event completely.
“We are following closely”
Four months before the International Agricultural Show (SIA) in Paris, the major annual event for French agriculture that welcomed more than 600,000 visitors in its last edition, its organizers are closely monitoring the situation. “At the moment, we are carefully observing and following” the evolution of the health situation, its director Valérie Le Roy told BFM Business, specifying that “it is still a little early to say what will happen” between now and the opening of the 2026 edition of the SIA at the end of February. It is time for “vigilance” for the organizers of the SIA, who, however, are optimistic about the presence of cattle, the protagonist of the Parisian agricultural event.
Furthermore, “it is not the first year of epizootics” that the SIA has faced, points out Valérie Le Roy, explaining that it was sometimes necessary to reinforce health protocols or vaccinate certain animals to guarantee their arrival in Paris: poultry has been absent from the halls of the SIA for several years due to avian flu. In 2025 there were almost 4,000 animals in the SIA, including around 600 cattle.
Following the identification of several DNC hotspots outside the initial epicenter of Savoy, the Ministry of Agriculture announced last Friday a drastic tightening of restrictions on animal movements. Thus, “festive” livestock gatherings (fairs, competitions and exhibitions) were banned for two weeks throughout mainland France, as were livestock markets in the regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Burgundy-Franche-Comté and Occitanie.
The muse is expected in Paris
These measures “will be lifted on November 5” as long as “the health situation [permette]”, however, the Ministry of Agriculture warned cautiously. The lifting of the restricted zone in the two departments of Savoy, announced this Wednesday by the ministry, suggests an improvement in the health situation.
But will the SIA have its iconic cow muse? For its 2026 edition, the SIA has chosen for the first time to highlight an overseas bovine breed, namely the Brahman breed bred in Guyana and Martinique. A farm in eastern Martinique will send a delegation of a dozen head of cattle to Paris, including the future muse cow. For now, the arrival of the herd to mainland France during the month of November remains relevant, assures the director of the SIA.
The cattle “have been vaccinated” and will be housed until the opening of the show “on a farm outside the regulated areas”, specifies Valérie Le Roy. Don’t miss the muse, whose identity is still unknown.
Source: BFM TV
