free vaccination against serotype 3 is now extended to all of France

Vaccination against bluetongue serotype 3, recently detected, will be open free to all breeders, announced the new Minister of Agriculture, Annie Genevard, Thursday October 3, at the Cournon Livestock Summit -from Auvergne (Puy-de-Dôme). “We must at all costs stop the spread of outbreaks and their impact. This is why I have decided that free vaccination paid for by the State will now be open to all of France for the sheep industry”she declared to conclude her trip.

Several regions and departments already benefited from free vaccination made available to sheep and cattle breeders, at a cost estimated at nearly 30 million euros on September 19. Since its first detection at the beginning of August, FCO (known as blue tongue disease) serotype 3 has spread rapidly, with a total of 3,743 outbreaks recorded on farms, according to a count as of September 26. The unions are demanding the same support against FCO serotype 8, which is also prevalent in the territory, arguing that it costs less to vaccinate than to compensate for losses.

In his general policy declaration on Tuesday, the Prime Minister, Michel Barnier, promised to “sustain” the farmers “when they are hit by crises, whether climatic or health, as is currently the case with bluetongue”. Breeders face a cross-threat of bluetongue and epizootic haemorrhagic disease.

Agricultural unions are asking the State to cover direct losses (mortality) but also indirect losses (loss of value of the unborn child, drop in milk production and fertility, etc.). The bill can rise very quickly, while the budget for next year will be very constrained. For dead sheep alone, agricultural unions have calculated that compensation could represent more than 100 million euros. These animal fevers mainly affect sheep in a large part of the country, and cattle in the South and West, according to a report published by the Ministry of Agriculture.