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Bovine TB Resurfaces in France While Foot‑and‑Mouth Cripples South African Dairy

Updated (2 articles)
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    Image: Le Monde
    Le Monde Source Full size
  • Foot-and-mouth has now affected almost the whole country
    Foot-and-mouth has now affected almost the whole country
    Image: BBC
    Foot-and-mouth has now affected almost the whole country (BBC) Source Full size
  • Foot-and-mouth has now affected almost the whole country
    Foot-and-mouth has now affected almost the whole country
    Image: BBC
    Foot-and-mouth has now affected almost the whole country (BBC) Source Full size
  • The government has promised a mass vaccination programme but it will take a while to cover the whole country
    The government has promised a mass vaccination programme but it will take a while to cover the whole country
    Image: BBC
    The government has promised a mass vaccination programme but it will take a while to cover the whole country Source Full size
  • Le troupeau de vaches de race Prim’holstein de Laurent Vicialle et sa compagne, à Ségrie-Fontaine (Orne), le 3 février 2026.FLORIAN TRAVERT
    Le troupeau de vaches de race Prim’holstein de Laurent Vicialle et sa compagne, à Ségrie-Fontaine (Orne), le 3 février 2026.FLORIAN TRAVERT
    Image: Le Monde
    Le troupeau de vaches de race Prim’holstein de Laurent Vicialle et sa compagne, à Ségrie-Fontaine (Orne), le 3 février 2026.FLORIAN TRAVERT (FLORIAN TRAVERT) Source Full size

New Bovine TB Cases Detected in Orne After December Screening In December 2025 veterinary inspections identified four separate bovine‑tuberculosis foci in northern Orne [1]. The reinforced annual screening of 914 eligible farms confirmed infections on four farms in the new commune of Athis‑Val‑de‑Rouvre [1]. By February 2026 only one additional case appeared in neighboring Calvados and a suspected case remained in Orne [1]. This tally is far below the 41 outbreaks reported in Nouvelle‑Aquitaine in 2025 and the national total of 93 cases [1].

Mass Culling and Farmer Anxiety Persist in Orne More than fifty livestock holdings have been compelled to cull infected cattle since the disease arrived a decade ago [1]. Recent culling operations removed 140 animals, which farmers hope will end mass removals [1]. Christophe Davy of a farmers’ collective warned that a “Damocles sword” constantly hangs over producers [1]. The ongoing anxiety reflects the persistent threat to the region’s raw‑milk cheese farms [1].

Foot‑and‑Mouth Virus Declared National Disaster Across South Africa The foot‑and‑mouth virus now affects eight of South Africa’s nine provinces, prompting President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a national disaster [2]. The disaster status unlocks emergency funding and accelerates the import of vaccines for the estimated 14 million‑animal herd [2]. Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen announced a ten‑year eradication plan that includes mass vaccination [2]. Biosecurity checkpoints and roadblocks have proven ineffective, as the virus reached farms despite movement restrictions [2].

Milk Production Plummets and Vaccine Shortages Threaten South African Dairy On a commercial dairy farm of 2,200 cattle in KwaZulu‑Natal, 50 cows developed mastitis, costing about $380 each to treat [2]. Daily milk output fell from 14,000 L to 9,000 L and stayed low for two weeks before the herd cleared [2]. Small‑scale farmer Nompumelelo Ndlovu fears loss of her 20‑animal business if vaccine doses do not arrive [2]. A shipment of one million Argentine vaccines is expected, but it falls short of national needs, prompting a restart of domestic production that will take time [2].

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Timeline

c. 2015 – Bovine tuberculosis first appears in the Orne department of northern France, beginning a decade‑long battle that eventually forces more than 50 farms to cull infected cattle and shapes regional disease‑control policies [2].

Nov 2025 – Veterinary inspectors record a single bovine TB case in the commune of Athis‑Val‑de‑Rouvre, prompting authorities to launch an intensified screening program across 914 eligible farms in Orne [2].

Dec 2025 – Four new bovine TB foci emerge in Orne, leading to the slaughter of 140 cattle and reviving farmer anxiety; the outbreaks raise the national tally to 93 cases for 2025, with Nouvelle‑Aquitaine alone reporting 41 [2].

Jan 2026 – The foot‑and‑mouth virus breaches biosecurity checkpoints and reaches a commercial dairy farm in KwaZulu‑Natal, where milk production drops from 14,000 L to 9,000 L per day, illustrating the limited effectiveness of movement restrictions [1].

Feb 2026 – President Cyril Ramaphosa declares the foot‑and‑mouth crisis a national disaster, unlocking emergency funding and accelerating the import of a million vaccine doses from Argentina, though the supply falls short of the 14 million‑animal herd [1].

Feb 2026 – Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen unveils a 10‑year eradication plan that includes mass vaccination of the entire national herd, while investment firm Livestock Wealth’s Ntuthuko Shezi says the rollout “can match the rapid Covid‑19 vaccine effort” [1].

Feb 2026 – Small‑scale farmer Nompumelelo Ndlovu warns that without timely vaccine deliveries her 20‑animal business “will be lost,” underscoring the stakes for vulnerable producers [1].

Feb 2026 – Veteran dairy farmer Peter Griffin asserts that “the catastrophe could have been avoided,” criticizing the government’s response and demanding faster action [1].

Feb 2026 – Bovine TB testing in Orne identifies only one additional case in the neighboring Calvados department, keeping the regional outbreak low compared with the previous year’s surge [2].

Mid‑2026 (expected) – Domestic production of foot‑and‑mouth vaccine restarts in South Africa, a process that will take several months before sufficient doses become available for smallholders and the broader herd [1].

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