Many breeders have been incensed by the use of police force and the government's mass slaughter policy to stop the spread of lumpy skin disease.

Farmers have staged protests in several parts of France in recent days after vets culled a herd suffering from the disease.

After clashes at a farm in southern France and the culling of 208 cows, tensions are rising between some agricultural unions and the government, which has stuck to its contested…