2024-09-06 12:22:28
As of September 5, 2024, France has recorded 712 outbreaks. Ardennes breeders believe that the vaccination campaign was launched too late. They are demanding compensation from the government.
In August, Ardennes breeder Bruno Miser issued a call for an extension. Bluetongue (FCO) in its herd. He said he hoped to “pick up the carcasses with a shovel”. Alas, the following weeks proved him right.
Within a month, 50% of the Ardennes cattle herd was affected by the epidemic, affecting breeders in France and Europe. On Wednesday, breeders from the Ardennes region left sheep carcasses in front of the county government to protest against the government’s “failure”.
“Fifty percent of our animals are sick and we have a 20 percent mortality rate so far,” Yohann Sommé, president of the Ardennes Sheep Breeders’ Federation, explained to BFM Business.
The breeder said the death toll could have been less severe and he regretted that the “vaccine was deployed too late.”
“When the vaccine arrived on August 16, the disease was already at an advanced stage. After only eight days, some of the livestock were already sick and 20% of the animals could not be vaccinated,” explains Yohann Sommé.
Once contaminated, animals will show high fever, with body temperature reaching 41.8°, while the normal body temperature is 38°. “There is no antiviral treatment. Once the animals are sick, we can only try to reduce the fever with anti-inflammatory drugs.”
global warming
This viral disease, also known as bluetongue, affects both domestic ruminants (sheep, cattle, goats) and wild ruminants. On the other hand, it has no effect on humans and has no impact on the health quality of food (meat, milk, etc.).
The spread from farm to farm is done by midges that are carried by the wind. “That’s how they cross the English Channel and contaminate farms in the UK,” John Thome told us.
“The only hope of stopping this process is the arrival of winter. When the temperature drops below 15°, the midges no longer reproduce, but global warming is not in our favour.”
The evolution of the virus makes the fight against the disease even more difficult. Since 2017, breeders have been facing two virus serotypes (BTV8 and BTV4). A year ago, a new virus (BTV3) was discovered in Europe. It was first detected in the Netherlands, then gradually spread to Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom, and then to France, Luxembourg and Denmark in early August.
In France, the FCO is spreading at an alarming rate. At the end of August, there were 342 families in France, which has almost doubled in a week. About ten departments are affected: Aisne, Ardennes, Haute-Marne, Marne, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle, Nord, Oise and Pas-de-Calais.
September 5 news, according to Data released by the Ministry of Agriculturewith 712 outbreaks detected, affecting 10 other departments: Aube, Doubs, Nièvre, Orne, Haute-Saône, Saône-et-Loire, Sarthe, Seine-et-Marne, Somme and Yonne. Yohann Sommé recalls that in 2007 57 departments were infected and he fears that the spread could spread further.
Free but belated vaccination campaign
In order to stop the spread of the epidemic, the resigning Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau launched a vaccination campaign in mid-August that will last until the end of the year. 6.4 million doses of vaccine will be provided free of charge to breeders (1.1 million for sheep and 5.3 million for cattle).
The late arrival of the vaccine was considered a “national failure” by Ardennes breeders, which caused economic losses, including the death of animals and the closure of foreign markets.
On Wednesday, breeders in the Ardennes region left the carcasses of sheep in front of the canton of Charleville-Mézières in protest. From now on, they will no longer demand “compensation” but “compensation” because these losses could have been avoided.
“I met with Marc Fesneau in August and we had a discussion about assessing the damage we had suffered,” Yohann Sommé revealed to us.
The requested amount was determined taking into account a 20% mortality rate in an average flock of 400 sheep, a lamb price of €150 and a ewe price of €200.
“So if 80 sheep are lost and each sheep loses 180 euros, the average loss per farm is 14,400 euros,” estimates Yohann Sommé.
The document will be in the hands of a new team at the Ministry of Agriculture, supervised by the new prime minister. Michel Barnier, nicknamed “The Mountain Man”, became Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries in 2007 during the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy.
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France Battles Devastating Bluetongue Outbreak: Breeders Demand Compensation
As of September 5, 2024, France has recorded a staggering 712 outbreaks of Bluetongue disease, a viral epidemic that is wreaking havoc on the country’s livestock industry. The alarming spread of the disease has left breeders in the Ardennes region reeling, with many calling for compensation from the government for the devastating losses they have incurred.
Bruno Miser, an Ardennes breeder, had warned of the impending disaster in August, stating that he feared having to ”pick up the carcasses with a shovel.” Unfortunately, his worst fears have come true. Within a month, 50% of the Ardennes cattle herd has been affected by the epidemic, with a mortality rate of 20%.
The vaccination campaign, which was launched on August 16, has been criticized by breeders for being too little, too late. Yohann Sommé, president of the Ardennes Sheep Breeders’ Federation, explained that by the time the vaccine arrived, the disease had already spread too far, and many animals were already sick. ”After only eight days, some of the livestock were already sick, and 20% of the animals could not be vaccinated,” he lamented.
The Devastating Consequences of Bluetongue
Bluetongue, also known as Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), is a viral disease that affects domestic ruminants such as sheep, cattle, and goats, as well as wild ruminants. While it has no impact on human health or the quality of food products, it can have devastating consequences for livestock farmers.
Infected animals exhibit
