Farmers from the French Farmer Union lying on the ground protest in front of the Pau Prefecture against the policy of slaughtering cows with lumpy skin disease, in Pau, France, on December 15, 2025. CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT / AFP
French farmers on Monday, December 15, vowed no let-up in their protests against the mass slaughter of cows to control an infectious bovine disease, promising to keep going until Christmas unless the cull is ended.
Many breeders have been incensed by the use of police force and the government's mass slaughter policy to stop the spread of nodular dermatitis, also known as lumpy skin disease. Farmers are also upset the European Union is this week expected to sign on to a trade deal with South America they say will flood the market with cheap products that will outcompete them.
Agricultural workers have blocked roads since vets on Friday slaughtered a herd of more than 200 cows in a village near the Spanish border after discovering a single case of the disease. Police had used tear gas to clear away angry demonstrators protecting the cattle in Les Bordes-sur-Arize.
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