Vaccination Campaign Launches Amid Farmer Protests to Combat Bovine Dermatose Nodulaire in South-West France

The French government is set to launch a major vaccination campaign targeting bovine dermatose nodulaire contagieuse (DNC) in the South-West region starting December 15, amid ongoing farmer protests against the culling of infected herds. Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard confirmed her participation in the vaccination efforts, which aim to inoculate one million cattle across eight regulated departments, at a cost of 20 million euros. This represents an extension of the government’s strategy, which combines culling infected animals, restricting herd movement, and emergency vaccination within a 50 km radius of outbreaks.

The South-West remains the epicenter of tensions, with significant road blockades, notably on the A64 highway, where farmers demand an end to total herd culling. Genevard described vaccination as “a path of hope to prevent the slaughter of herds,” stressing the urgency: “It’s a challenge we will meet with the farmers: vaccinate as quickly as possible one million cattle because it is the way to fight the disease.”

This active response comes amid broader agricultural changes in the Occitanie region, a key area for beef cattle farming in France. According to 2020 data, the region hosted over 13,000 beef farms representing 13% of the national herd. Despite a 21% decrease in the number of farms over the past decade, beef production still accounts for 20% of the region’s agricultural output. However, cattle slaughter volumes are declining, down 3.5% in the first nine months of 2025 due to shrinking herds, although exports of young cattle have increased.

The vaccination initiative aims to curb the spread of DNC while minimizing the socio-economic damage to the vital cattle farming sector in South-West France.