The Minister of Agriculture, Annie Genevard, announced on Friday April 24 the increase in compensation granted to breeders forced to slaughter their animals affected by bovine tuberculosis. This infectious disease, mainly carried by wild animals and transmissible to humans, finds a reservoir in the cattle herd.
“When the arrival of this disease on a farm leads to the slaughter-diagnosis of herds, we compensate,” underlined Ms. Genevard, who announced an increase of 850 euros in the compensation paid per cattle over 24 months old, during the congress in Avignon of health defense groups, departmental associations of breeders dedicated to animal health.
“We are therefore going from 2,500 euros to 3,350, with a retroactive effect,” she said, adding that “the revaluation and retroactivity were eagerly awaited by breeders. And despite the budgetary context that each of us is experiencing, the government has decided to respond favorably to this request from breeders which will bring great relief.”
Around 7,000 animals slaughtered in 2024, according to the FNSEA
The minister announced that she was working on this revaluation during the congress of the National Federation of Farmers’ Unions (FNSEA), whose president questioned her on the subject.
In mid-March, 50 outbreaks of tuberculosis had been detected in France, according to the latest report available on the ministry’s website.
In 2025, 93 outbreaks had been detected, especially in the South-West and Corsica, and 81 outbreaks in 2024, i.e. an incidence rate of less than 0.1%, which allows France to maintain the “free” status conditioning the animal trade.
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According to the National Bovine Federation, a specialized association of the FNSEA, around 7,000 animals were slaughtered in 2024 and 5,000 in 2025. That is more than the approximately 3,500 slaughtered due to contagious lumpy skin disease which appeared in June 2025.
The selective culling of herds in the event of tuberculosis infection is possible by derogation and was relaxed in November 2025, contrary to the protocol in force for dermatosis.
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Originally published at Almouwatin.com
