Bluetongue outbreak in France, 190 outbreaks confirmed

“An explosion of cases”: the number of outbreaks of bluetongue (BT), which mainly affects sheep and ewes, has more than quadrupled in France in eight days, with 190 cases confirmed as of August 22 in departments in the north of the country.

“We are facing an explosion of cases, but still close to the first outbreaks (…) in an area that is not expanding much,” the Ministry of Agriculture said on Friday.

Ten departments in the north of France are now affected: Aisne, Ardennes, Haute-Marne, Marne, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle, Nord, Oise, Pas-de-Calais. A previous government report indicated 41 outbreaks on August 14, in six departments.

The spread of FCO, also known as “blue tongue disease”, is also accelerating in Europe: the Netherlands and Germany had several thousand cases in mid-August, and Belgium several hundred.

Bluetongue is manifested by fever, respiratory problems, a hanging tongue or even the loss of pregnant young and sometimes by the death of the animals, in proportions varying from one farm to another. Its detection does not lead to the slaughter of the animals, unlike avian flu. It also affects cattle, but with very low mortality.

The French livestock population numbers just under 6 million sheep.

– criticism of late vaccination –

Vaccination against the disease, which is not transmissible to humans, has begun, but too late, according to the National Sheep Federation (FNO).

“We are indeed in an explosion phase. We could have vaccinated a month earlier to have acquired immunity at the peak of the epidemic,” Emmanuel Fontaine, in charge of health affairs at the FNO, told AFP.

In the Ardennes, breeder Bruno Miser expressed his anger to AFP: “We have been demanding vaccines since October!” He has been vaccinating a herd that is already partly sick for two days and expects to “pick up corpses by the shovelful” in the coming days.

Sheep being vaccinated on a farm in Poix-Terron, northern France, on August 21, 2024 (AFP/FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI)

“Now, we need to expand the vaccination zone and order around 2 million additional doses” for sheep, estimates Emmanuel Fontaine, while the State has currently planned to distribute 1.1 million doses for sheep and 5.3 million for cattle, targeting the regions most at risk, north of the Loire where animal movements are subject to restrictions.

The new serotype 3 of the virus was first detected in Europe in September 2023, in the Netherlands, before being detected in Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom in the following months. The first cases were confirmed in early August in France, Luxembourg and Denmark.

Faced with the acceleration of the spread, the government claims to be “listening to the distress of breeders” and “not ruling anything out”, without committing to placing new orders for vaccines for the moment.

– “Caught in a vice” –

The Ministry of Agriculture notes that there were “slowdowns” among transporters due to the weekend of August 15, but emphasizes that “orders were launched as soon as the vaccines were authorized by Anses (health agency)” on July 5.

“We have compressed the deadlines as much as possible, the vaccination campaign began before the arrival of the first cases (…) and France is the only country to fully cover the cost of vaccination,” it was added.

Bluetongue has been present in France for years, but with other serotypes, numbers 4 and 8. The south of the country is currently facing an epizootic of bluetongue 8 which has caused the death of thousands of animals on farms in recent weeks.

On Thursday, breeders gathered in Foix (Ariège) at the call of the Confédération paysanne (3rd agricultural union) to demand compensation after the estimated death of 4,000 sheep in Occitanie since June.

Vaccination against FCO 8 exists, but is not covered by the State.

“This year, we are facing a new variant of serotype 8, which is more virulent and is progressing. Before, the culicoides midge (vector insect) did not evolve beyond 800 meters of altitude, now, we have farms affected at 1,000 meters”, explains Emmanuel Fontaine.

“This is why breeders are asking for state aid. Between FCO 8 which is rising and FCO 3 which is falling, breeders in the centre, where the large herds are concentrated, are caught in a vice,” he warns, worried about the future of French livestock.

© 2024 AFP

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