Intensified Protests in Ariège Over Contagious Nodular Dermatitis Culling Measures

On December 11, 2025, tensions escalated in Bordes-sur-Arize, Ariège, as approximately 500 farmers and supporters clashed with law enforcement while attempting to prevent the government-mandated culling of 207 cattle due to contagious nodular dermatitis (DNC). Authorities used tear gas to disperse protesters who retaliated with stones and projectiles, resulting in four arrests though no reported injuries.

The prefect of Ariège, Hervé Brabant, stated the cattle owners consented to the cull in compliance with health protocols, a claim contested by protest leader Pierre-Guillaume Mercadal, who noted internal family disagreement over the decision. Protesters blocked access to the farm with tractors and tree trunks, demanding recognition of the crisis by Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard.

Local agricultural unions have proposed experimental protocols to limit culling strictly to infected animals paired with a mass vaccination campaign, but current regulations still require entire herds in infected zones to be culled. Approximately 3,000 of 33,000 cattle in surrounding areas have been vaccinated.

Similar protests have erupted in Agen, where farmers mobilized tractors and set fire to straw walls near administrative buildings, condemning the prefect’s handling of the outbreak. Meanwhile, culling operations in neighboring Hautes-Pyrénées face opposition as well, with authorities warning that blockades risk further disease spread.

DNC, first identified in France in June, is non-transmissible to humans but potentially fatal to cattle, prompting urgent government measures to protect the national herd, despite strong resistance from farmers deeply concerned about their livelihoods and the agricultural economy.