Bovine tuberculosis is a sensitive subject, which is causing “fed up” among affected farmers. This chronic disease with slow progression, over several years, is difficult to detect but easily transmitted between cattle within the same herd and to humans.
12 outbreaks were detected in Dordogne in 2024. “We slaughter 400 animals per year. This is the ministerial objective, it remains little compared to the 80,000 cattle. And out of the 400 animals slaughtered, we had 12 positive cases,” explains Yannick Frances, member of the departmental steering committee on bovine tuberculosis and vice-president of the Dordogne Chamber of Agriculture. The department is the second most affected in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, a region which concentrates 60% of the hundred positive cases in France.
“It’s a double punishment”
“The preferred method of sanitation” is, according to the state services contacted, “total slaughter, which allows the eradication of mycobacteria within the herd”. The objective is for France to maintain its “free” status from the disease so that breeders can export their meat.
On the other hand, a selective slaughter can be granted by the Departmental Directorate for Population Protection (DDPP) according to several criteria, in particular if the number of infected cattle is low and if the veterinarian of the Health Defense Group issues “a favorable opinion as to to the breeder's ability to contain the animals to ensure the protocol runs smoothly. The latter requires three series of successive tests to be carried out over a period not exceeding twelve months.
Breeders receive compensation for slaughtered animals, “up to their market value”. If the breeder wishes, he can benefit from psychological support via the Mutualité sociale agricole. Insufficient according to those concerned. “It’s a double punishment, economic hassle and moral distress. We are leaving the farmers in the lurch,” regrets Yannick Frances, who highlights the efforts of the Chamber of Agriculture to support breeders.
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