“This is inhuman what’s going on,” deplores rural coordination after slaughtering cows from a Savoyard breeder

After 12 days of struggle, the Savoyard breeder Pierre-Jean Duchêne had to shoot down much of his flock in contaminated by contagious cattle dermatosis on Tuesday.

“This is inhuman what is going on. The breeders all cry as the animals fall”described the national secretary general of rural coordination on Wednesday July 23, Christian Convers, in Here Pays de Savoie (ex France Bleu), while a large part of the livestock of a Savoyard breeder, Pierre-Jean Duchêne, was shot Tuesday after 12 days of Hostens struggle, in the commune of Entrelacs (Savoie). The herd had been contaminated by contagious bovine nodular dermatosis.

The Savoy Prefecture announced on Sunday that new cases of this disease had been detected in the exploitation of Pierre-Jean Duchêne. The breeder, who until then refused the euthanasia of his herd finally accepted him. According to the prefecture, 87 of the 121 herd cattle were euthanized on Tuesday by the veterinary services. The 28 -year -old breeder had mobilized since July 10 with rural coordination to avoid the slaughter of his herd, while two cases of contagious nodular dermatosis had been detected there. He also appealed to the administrative court, and had been dismissed last Saturday, recalls here Pays de Savoie.

Since then, three other animals have developed the symptoms of the disease. Pierre-Jean Duchêne therefore resigned himself to accepting euthanasia of part of his herd. “There are appeals to the Council of State, normally, they are suspensive, which they wait at least tomorrow”pleads Christian Convers, the national secretary general of rural coordination on Tuesday, at the microphone by Pays de Savoie. Himself a breeder in Cernex (Haute-Savoie), he was present on the Gaec by Pierre-Jean Duchêne and it was in tears that he responded to the media to say his sadness.

“The animals are in great shape, they are heavy animals, they find it difficult to die continues Christian Convers. If it turns out that we win the appeal, it will be an additional heartbreaker “. According to him, “Breeders cannot assume that, we cannot fight more than that against the state”notes the very moved farmer.

The felling of the herd ended in the middle of the afternoon. The breeder Pierre-Jean Duchêne did not attend the killing of part of his herd. He is “left in the woodsexplained Christian Convers. I hope he will not make bullshit. “ Other farmers were present out of solidarity. The European deputy for the national rally, Marie Dauchy, was also present on site.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, 285,000 cattle must benefit from the vaccination campaign launched since last Friday. But the protection of cows is only complete after 21 days of injection. In Savoy and Haute-Savoie, there are now 33 foci of contagious nodular dermatosis identified.