France battles new wave of cattle disease outbreaks

Audio By Carbonatix

By Sybille de La Hamaide

PARIS (Reuters) -France is struggling to contain a surge in cases of lumpy skin disease in cattle with a new outbreak found near the Spanish border, as the highly contagious virus sweeps across Western Europe for the first time.

Lumpy skin disease is a highly contagious virus spread by insects that affects cattle and buffalo, causing blisters and reducing milk production. It does not pose a risk to humans but often leads to trade restrictions and severe economic losses.

Historically present in Africa and the Middle East, the disease expanded into South-eastern Europe in 2015 and Asia in 2019.

Western Europe’s first outbreak occurred on Italy’s Sardinia island in late June, followed by France. Spain reported a first case last week.

France reported a sharp drop in outbreaks in late August after a mass vaccination campaign, but cases have picked up again this month, spreading from the Alps to the Jura and Ain regions in eastern France.

A new case was confirmed on Wednesday in a herd in the Pyrenees-Orientales near Spain, local authorities said.

By Tuesday, France had reported 83 outbreaks, Italy 72 and Spain nine, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health.

The three countries were already battling another livestock disease, the bluetongue virus affecting sheep and bovines, which has spread across Europe.

They have all taken measures to contain lumpy skin disease in line with international standards.

French farm union Confederation Paysanne, however, said automatic culling and long movement restrictions were counter-productive.

“By basing disease management on unsustainable measures, the ministry has caused panic and animal movements that are conducive to the spread of the disease,” it said on Thursday.

The farm minister is due to visit Jura on Friday for a crisis meeting on the disease.

(Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide, editing by Ed Osmond)