Farmers in southwest France blocked roads and set fire to bales of hay on Dec. 13 to protest the culling of cows due to a skin disease as the government said one million cattle would be vaccinated.
French farmers have been angry over what they see as the government's heavy-handed response to an outbreak of nodular dermatitis, widely known as lumpy skin disease.
On Dec. 12, veterinarians slaughtered a herd of more than 200 cows in the village of Les Bordes-sur-Arize near the Spanish border after discovering a single case of the sickness. The police had to disperse angry farmers to escort in a team to carry out the culling.
Several unions have called that approach ineffective, calling for "blockades across France to put an end to this madness."
On Dec. 13, dozens of tractors blocked traffic, while others were parked in front of public buildings, with farmers setting fire to bales of straw and tyres.
The official strategy to stamp out what the authorities describe as a very contagious disease has since been to slaughter all animals in affected herds, as well as the "emergency vaccination" of all cattle within a 50-kilometer radius.
Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard said on Dec. 13 the government planned to vaccinate one million head of cattle in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie regions.
