Many cow farmers are dealing with a massive influx of voles, or “mole rats.” The Massif Central is particularly affected. They ravage the basements of the prairies and leave nothing left for the cows to graze.
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Breeders issue a cry of alarm. Many are increasingly facing a proliferation of voles, also known in some areas as “mole rats”. Among the farmers affected, there is Cédric, a breeder from Cantal. The Massif Central is particularly affected by this expansion. On Twitter, this farmer appeals to the government: “There are thousands of them per hectare. Minister of Agriculture, you will have to come and see us, find a solution for these beasts who are eating all the grass for us.”
The phenomenon is not new. But it tends to increase, explains Michel Bos. He too is a breeder in Cantal and he chairs the Rat le Bol collective. “Before, we had an outbreak every decade. There, now, if it continues at this rate, we will have three in the same decade.”
No solution so far
These pests destroy the meadows and there is no more grass available today. Some breeders are forced to dig into their savings. “We arrive at solutions where breeders borrowed during the last outbreak to buy fodder at the rate of 20, 30, 40, 50,000 euros.”
There is no miracle solution to prevent the proliferation of voles. Some chemicals are not always effective, others have been banned. As for predators like the fox or the weasel, they too are helpless. “Predators contribute to the regulation of populations, but do not completely escape the phenomenon of pullulation. After a while, they are overwhelmed.” A potential solution is considered: the sterilization of voles. But scientists are still at the laboratory research stage.
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