Angry French farmers are calling for more protests over the government-backed slaughter of cattle herds affected by so-called Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD).
On Thursday, there were clashes between riot police and demonstrators in the southern Ariège department after vets were called in to destroy potentially contaminated cattle at a farm.
Elsewhere in the south, farmers have dumped manure outside government buildings and blocked roads. The offices of several environmentalist groups were ransacked in the Charente-Maritime department.
LSD is a highly contagious bovine disease transmitted mainly by fly-bites, causing fever, mucal discharge, and nodules on the skin.
Though mainly non-fatal, it can severely affect milk production, making affected cows unsalable. The disease arrived in Europe from Africa about a decade ago, with France's first outbreak occurring in the Alps last June, disrupting the Tour de France cycle race.
The government's policy of slaughtering entire herds where a single animal has been infected met with fierce opposition from two of the three main farmers' unions. They argue that a combination of selective culling and vaccinations would be a more reasonable approach.
Most veterinarians, however, disagree, citing difficulties in identifying symptomless animals carrying the virus as the rationale for whole-herd slaughtering.
Since June, France has reported about 110 LSD outbreaks, with around 3,000 animals culled. The government fears the protests might broaden into a more significant movement among farmers feeling threatened by EU regulations and international competition.
A large protest is planned in Brussels next week during an EU leaders' summit, amid rising crises in various French agricultural sectors.
