The French government has decided to suspend live cattle exports for 15 days, until November 4, and to impose strict restrictions on animal movements, with reinforced controls and threats of penalties for violators, in an effort to contain the spread of lumpy skin disease, reported EFE.
“We are at a critical moment, and we must continue working to protect France’s cattle herd,” said Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard on Friday after a meeting at the prefecture of Lons-le-Saunier (northeast France) focused on the rapid spread of the disease in recent weeks.
Genevard emphasized that “we must fully understand the danger” and urged cattle producers to alert veterinary services as soon as they suspect an infected animal.
The French Ministry of Agriculture reported that as of October 15, 86 outbreaks of the disease had been detected in 54 farms across five departments: Pyrénées-Orientales, Savoie, Haute-Savoie, Ain, Rhône, and Jura.
Lumpy skin disease is a highly contagious emerging transboundary viral disease caused by a virus belonging to the Poxviridae family and the Capripoxvirus genus. It primarily affects cattle, and to a lesser extent, other ruminants such as oryx, giraffes, wildebeests, antelopes, and impalas. The disease carries significant economic importance for livestock production due to losses in productivity, particularly from reduced milk yield in dairy cows and lower beef production.
