{"id":598,"date":"2025-12-19T22:03:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T21:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/montreoutdoor.com\/urgence-dans-le-sud-ouest-la-vaccination-lancee-face-a-la-colere-grandissante-des-agriculteurs\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T22:03:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T21:03:00","slug":"emergency-in-the-south-west-vaccination-launched-in-the-face-of-growing-anger-among-farmers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/montreoutdoor.com\/en\/emergency-in-the-south-west-vaccination-launched-in-the-face-of-growing-anger-among-farmers\/","title":{"rendered":"Emergency in the South-West: vaccination launched in the face of growing anger among farmers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Faced with a critical health situation in the South-West, the vaccination campaign against lumpy skin disease (LDS) in cattle has got under way against a backdrop of a growing number of cases of the disease.\u2019emergency<\/strong> and strong anger<\/strong> farmers. For several weeks now, farmers have been protesting vehemently against the policy of systematically slaughtering affected herds, provoking a conflict<\/strong> with the authorities. In this region where\u2019agriculture<\/strong> is an economic and cultural pillar, the mobilisation is widespread, bearing witness to the protest<\/strong> faced with a crisis that is affecting both the public health<\/strong> and the survival of farms.<\/p>\n\n

The first batches of vaccines arrived recently, targeting almost 750,000 cattle in a vast regulated zone including the Pyr\u00e9n\u00e9es-Atlantiques and Landes regions. The aim of this operation is to create an effective sanitary cordon to halt the spread of DNC, a contagious viral disease which poses a serious threat to the national herd. The Government, under pressure, is stepping up the campaign, deploying reinforced veterinary teams and cancelling holidays to maximise the pace.<\/p>\n\n

Yet despite these efforts, tensions remain palpable. Farmers are demanding not only immediate vaccination, but also a halt to the mass culls, which they see as an unfair punishment that is decimating their livelihoods. Against this fiery backdrop, the scenario of a bitter struggle between health authorities and rural players continues to play out, with a race against time to protect the South-West from a major agricultural disaster.<\/p>\n\n

Vaccination emergency in the South-West: a race against time to protect livestock<\/h2>\n\n

In the last days of 2024 and the beginning of 2025, the situation in the South-West of France took a turn for the worse, requiring an unprecedented acceleration in vaccination against lumpy skin disease. This viral disease, which is highly contagious between cattle, has led to the creation of a massive health plan. The aim? Immunise 750,000 cattle<\/strong> in a vast regulated zone covering eight departments in Occitanie as well as Landes and Pyr\u00e9n\u00e9es-Atlantiques.<\/p>\n\n

The operation began with the arrival of an initial stock of 500,000 doses, supplemented by a rush order for a further 400,000 doses from a Dutch laboratory. Each animal will receive a single dose, providing protection for a period of 12 to 18 months. For the vaccine to have maximum effect, at least 75 % of the herd must be vaccinated, and animal movement is suspended in the area until herd immunity is acquired, around 28 days after the last injection.<\/p>\n\n

This initiative is not just administrative; it reflects a major logistical and health challenge. The local authorities, under the leadership of Prefect Jean-Marie Girier, are mobilising not only practising vets, but also retired vets, military personnel and students in training to carry out this public health mission. They are all working around the clock, cancelling holidays and evenings, to keep up the pace of a titanic campaign aimed at stopping the virus before it devastates any more local farms.<\/p>\n\n

Serge Marquis, a farmer in the Pyr\u00e9n\u00e9es-Atlantiques region of France, embodies this tension mixed with hope. After losing his duck farm to bird flu, he is now getting a breath of fresh air with the first doses of vaccine injected into his 91 white Aquitaine cows. His story clearly illustrates the pressure on farmers and the importance of mobilising against a disease whose damage has already led to the slaughter of almost 3,300 animals in the region.<\/p>\n\n

\"In<\/figure>\n\n

Farmers' anger: demonstrations and blockades as part of an unprecedented mobilisation<\/h2>\n\n

The health context is generating protest<\/strong> farmers in the South-West, particularly in the worst-hit areas. These farmers are vigorously denouncing the strategy of\u2019systematic culling<\/strong> of sick animals introduced by the authorities. This policy, which was supposed to stem the spread of lumpy skin disease, has given rise to a feeling of injustice and intense frustration among farmers.<\/p>\n\n

In response, farmers have stepped up their blockades, notably stopping traffic on the A64 motorway at Pau-centre, the main artery in the Pyr\u00e9n\u00e9es-Atlantiques department. This escalation of the conflict reflects the scale of the anger<\/strong> This rural situation persists despite government announcements to speed up vaccination. The Coordination Rurale 64, while supporting the vaccination campaign, is maintaining its demands for an immediate halt to slaughter:<\/p>\n\n

  • \ud83d\ude9c Blocking main roads to make farmers' voices heard<\/li>
  • \ud83d\udce3 Regular events in rural and urban areas<\/li>
  • \ud83d\uded1 Call for a moratorium on the slaughter of positive animals<\/li>
  • \ud83d\udc89 Call for rapid, compulsory extension of vaccination throughout France<\/li><\/ul>\n\n

    These protests are not isolated elsewhere in Occitanie, where vaccination, despite being launched as a matter of urgency, is struggling to ease tensions. The French Minister of Agriculture, Annie Genevard, had to travel to the region in person to demonstrate the government's determination to pursue its health policy and to witness the start of vaccination operations, which offer hope of a way out of the conflict.<\/p>\n\n

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