Angry French farmers are calling for more protests over the government-backed slaughter of cattle herds affected by so-called Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD). On Thursday there were clashes between riot police and demonstrators in the southern Ariège department, after vets were called in to destroy potentially contaminated cattle at a farm. Elsewhere in the south, farmers have dumped manure outside government buildings and blocked roads. The offices of several environmentalist groups were ransacked in the Charente-Maritime department. LSD is a highly contagious bovine disease which is transmitted mainly by fly-bites, characterized by fever, mucous discharge, and nodules on the skin.
Though mainly non-fatal, LSD can severely impact milk production, rendering affected cows unsaleable. The disease arrived in Europe from Africa about ten years ago, with France's first outbreak occurring in the Alps last June, which even forced a change in the Tour de France route.
The government's policy of slaughtering entire herds where a single animal is infected has faced opposition from two of the three main farmers' unions, with the Confédération Rurale and Confédération Paysanne arguing that such measures are brutally applied and unnecessary. Most veterinarians, however, support the policy, citing difficulties in distinguishing healthy animals from those that might be asymptomatic carriers of the virus. Since June, approximately 110 outbreaks of LSD have been reported across France, primarily in the southwest, with about 3,000 animals slaughtered to combat the disease's spread.
The protests have raised alarms within the French government, concerned that farmer discontent could lead to larger movements challenging EU regulations and international competition. A significant protest is set to take place in Brussels next week coinciding with an EU leaders' summit, amid ongoing crises across various farming sectors, including wine and poultry products. French farmers are also wary of an impending EU free-trade agreement with South American countries, fearing it could expose them to imports produced under less stringent environmental and sanitary standards.
Though mainly non-fatal, LSD can severely impact milk production, rendering affected cows unsaleable. The disease arrived in Europe from Africa about ten years ago, with France's first outbreak occurring in the Alps last June, which even forced a change in the Tour de France route.
The government's policy of slaughtering entire herds where a single animal is infected has faced opposition from two of the three main farmers' unions, with the Confédération Rurale and Confédération Paysanne arguing that such measures are brutally applied and unnecessary. Most veterinarians, however, support the policy, citing difficulties in distinguishing healthy animals from those that might be asymptomatic carriers of the virus. Since June, approximately 110 outbreaks of LSD have been reported across France, primarily in the southwest, with about 3,000 animals slaughtered to combat the disease's spread.
The protests have raised alarms within the French government, concerned that farmer discontent could lead to larger movements challenging EU regulations and international competition. A significant protest is set to take place in Brussels next week coinciding with an EU leaders' summit, amid ongoing crises across various farming sectors, including wine and poultry products. French farmers are also wary of an impending EU free-trade agreement with South American countries, fearing it could expose them to imports produced under less stringent environmental and sanitary standards.
