A new wave of bluetongue disease arrived in France at the beginning of August. Three outbreaks of serotype 3, previously unknown in France, were confirmed by the Ministry of Agriculture on Thursday, August 8, in sheep farms in the departments of Nord, Aisne and Ardennes. Twenty-two suspected cases are currently under investigation.
By the end of July, the government had already sounded the alarm when the serotype 3 virus (FCO-BTV3), present in Belgium since October 2023, had reached a Belgian farm close to the French border. As required by regulations, restriction measures had been promulgated on national territory in a so-called regulated zone, within a perimeter of 150 kilometers around the Belgian outbreak. With the detection of outbreaks in three French departments, the regulated zone has been extended.
At the same time, the French government has had to implement a free, voluntary vaccination plan against the new serotype in the regulated zone. Transmitted by stinging insects, culicoides, bluetongue disease affects cattle, but also sheep more severely. It causes mortality in flocks and also fertility problems. With the extension of the perimeter under control, the Ministry has had to revise upwards the number of doses it should make available to vets and breeders. It has now put the total at 6.4 million doses of vaccine, including 1.1 million single doses for sheep and 5.3 million doses for cattle, which will receive two injections.
'Economic and psychological cost'
Nearly 2.5 million doses have been delivered to the State. The Ministry has announced an acceleration of the vaccination campaign, with the date of the first deliveries to veterinarians revised from August 14 to August 12. This is two days ahead of the campaign, which is officially scheduled to run until the end of December.
"We're worried about the progression of biting insects. We need to order more vaccines, even though we have 5.1 million ewes in France, not counting ewe lambs and rams," said Michèle Boudoin, president of the National Ovine Federation, referring to "the economic and also psychological cost of the disease for breeders," but calling for "calm to be maintained."
For the time being, sheep and cattle farmers wishing to vaccinate their animals outside the restricted zone have to foot the bill. This is the case for FCO serotype 8, which entered the country some 15 years ago. This serotype affected 2,000 farms in 2023, and since the beginning of the year has resurfaced in the southwestern region of Occitanie, where 350 outbreaks have been detected. Concern is growing as the new serotype, which has reached France, has been spreading rapidly across Europe.