French Farmers Protest Lumpy Skin Disease and Mercosur Trade Deal

Farmer Protests and Lumpy Skin Disease

• 🐄 Farmers are protesting the illegal killing of healthy cow herds due to lumpy skin disease.
• 💡 They advocate for isolating and vaccinating sick animals instead of culling entire herds.
• ⚠️ The disease, which causes painful nodules and fever in cattle, is a key concern for French farmers.

Concerns Over the Mercosur Trade Deal

• 🌍 Farmers believe the Mercosur deal is not beneficial for local agriculture.
• ⚖️ They emphasize the need to support local farmers and local food production.
• 🇫🇷 French farmers highlight that they adhere to different and stricter norms regarding animal health and vaccination compared to countries like Brazil.

Demands for Concrete Action

• 🗣️ Farmers feel their concerns are not being heard, despite assurances from officials.
• 📝 They are demanding concrete measures, not just false promises, from the government.
• 🤝 The specific demand is for a full vaccination campaign against lumpy skin disease and avian flu.

Rationale Behind Culling and Farmer's Response

• 🦟 The rationale for culling healthy animals is to prevent the spread of the infectious disease, which is spread by insects.
• ❄️ However, farmers point out that in winter, with no insects, the risk of spread is lower.
• ⏳ Farmers have invested years of work into their herds and are unwilling to accept the culling of healthy animals.