France Faces Major Industrial Setbacks and Agricultural Unrest Amid Livestock Disease Crisis

France is grappling with severe challenges in both its industrial and agricultural sectors in late 2025. The recent liquidation of Brandt, one of the country's last major household appliance manufacturers, has resulted in 700 job losses and is viewed as a profound blow to the French industry. Brandt had been under judicial recovery since early October but ultimately succumbed to financial difficulties, causing concern for the broader industrial landscape. François Bonneau, president of Brandt, described the liquidation as "terrible news, a shock, and a severe blow to the French industry." These troubling developments contrast with President Emmanuel Macron's ambitious plan to boost the industrial sector's contribution to 15% of France's GDP by 2035, which currently shows limited progress.

Simultaneously, the agricultural sector is facing escalating unrest due to the outbreak of contagious nodular dermatitis (DNC), a livestock disease prompting widespread protests. On December 13, farmers blocked the A64 highway near Carbonne in Haute-Garonne to protest against government-mandated culling measures following DNC outbreaks. Approximately 300 cows have been euthanized recently in Occitanie as part of the containment strategy, which includes regulated zones of 50 kilometers around infected farms prohibiting animal movement and enforcing herd culling.

Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard is set to visit Haute-Garonne on December 15 to launch a vaccination campaign targeting one million animals across eight departments in Occitanie. The campaign is seen as a crucial hope for cattle breeders to halt the disease's spread. However, Bertrand Venteau, leader of the Coordination rurale farmers' union, warned that protests could intensify if restrictive measures continue, highlighting the growing tensions between farmers and the government.

Together, these industrial and agricultural crises underscore the complex challenges France faces in maintaining economic stability and supporting its vital sectors.