Mobilization against dermatosis: some farmers’ roadblocks still hold in the South-West, the A64 reopened to traffic

The end-of-year holidays have not completely put an end to the anger of farmers. This Sunday evening, a few roads and highways remained blocked in the southwest of France by operators unhappy with government management of lumpy skin disease (LCD).

Since the start of the epidemic in Savoie this summer, the State has tried to contain the spread of the virus based on “three pillars”: the systematic slaughter of a herd as soon as a case is detected, vaccination and restriction of movement.

A management strongly contested by some farmers, in particular the Rural Coordination (second union in the profession, ranked on the left) and the Peasant Confederation (third, ranked on the right), who reject this strategy of slaughtering entire herds at the slightest case detected.

A75, RN88, RD824, D834…

According to the gendarmerie, blockages were still in progress this Sunday morning on the A75, in Buisson (Lozère) and in Sévérac-d’Aveyron, the RN88 in Baraqueville (Aveyron), near Rodez, the RD824 Tartas (Landes) and the D834 Campet-et-Lamolère (Landes), near Mont-de-Marsan.

For his part, the co-president of the Rural Coordination (CR) of Gers, Jérôme Courrèges, affirms that the Ordan-Larroque dam, at the entrance to Auch, was still in place. According to a police source, farmers are still present there, without blocking traffic. On the other hand, they blocked this Sunday at the end of the morning the RD1124 in Aubiet (Gers), about twenty kilometers from Auch in the direction of Toulouse, according to this source.

On the A64, on the other hand, traffic conditions are improving towards Bayonne (Pyrénées-Atlantiques). “End of exit prohibited at Pau n° 10”, now indicates the official account of the A64 on X.

Tensions in Auch Saturday evening

Saturday evening, tensions appeared in Auch (Gers). A tractor “sprayed the facade of the newspaper La Dépêche du Midi”, indicated the prefecture. The driver advanced towards the police, who issued “summons with weapons drawn”, she continued in a press release, specifying that the farmer stopped the engine before being arrested.

For the Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, “numerous spontaneous demonstrations were able to take place without being hindered, allowing broad expression of demands. Auch has been the scene of significant damage for several days,” he wrote on X, adding that “the police intervened (…) in compliance with the legal framework.”

“When people, farmers, tractor drivers are threatened by a weapon, I completely understand the emotion. (…) In this case, it lasted three seconds. As soon as he turned off the engine, the weapons were put away. There was no violence,” explains the prefect of Gers, Alain Castanier.