France Lifts Cattle Movement Curbs Amid Lumpy Skin Disease Concerns

France has announced the lifting of most restrictions on cattle movement that were implemented to halt the spread of lumpy skin disease. The decision, declared by Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard, comes just before the International Agriculture Show opens in Paris without its usual cattle display.

Lumpy skin disease, a highly contagious condition spread mainly by biting insects, caused multiple outbreaks in France, particularly near the Alps and the southwest. However, since no new cases have emerged since January, restrictions have been scaled back, except in the Pyrenees-Orientales region.

The absence of cattle at the farm show, a crowd-puller attracting approximately 600,000 visitors annually, marks a historic first. Farmers opted for caution, driving a shift to other non-bovine exhibits, though past herd culling efforts by the government have drawn criticism and provoked protests last month in Paris.