Farmers Block Foix Tunnel in Protest Against Cattle Slaughter Policy

Farmers Rise Up in Foix

Tensions are rising once again in southwestern France as farmers in Ariège take to the roads. On Monday morning, members of the Coordination Rurale staged a blockade at the Foix tunnel, a crucial link between Toulouse, Andorra, and Spain, in an angry protest against the government’s handling of the dermatose nodulaire contagieuse (DNC) — also known as nodular skin disease in cattle.

Traffic quickly ground to a halt as dozens of tractors parked across the Montgailhard end of the tunnel, forcing it to close for an indeterminate period. Alternative routes have been set up through Foix town for light vehicles and through Mirepoix and Lavelanet for heavy vehicles, but heavy congestion has been reported all day.

Why Are Farmers Protesting?

At the heart of the protest lies the government’s strict slaughter protocol. Under current rules, if a single case of DNC is detected in a herd, all nearby cattle within the unit are culled, regardless of their infection status. Since the first outbreak was confirmed in Savoie in June 2025, approximately 3,300 cattle have been euthanised across several regions.

Farmers and rural unions accuse authorities of acting “blindly” and “without regard for scientific evolution.” They argue that the mass-slaughter policy causes huge economic losses, destroys healthy livestock, and undermines confidence in rural communities already under stress from inflation and rising costs.

Government Defends Its Position

The controversy deepened on December 24th, when Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard reaffirmed that “the depopulation protocol cannot be revised at this stage,” citing scientific advice from a newly formed expert panel. The government insists that the measure remains the only effective way to contain the virus, which is spread by biting insects such as mosquitoes and midges.

To ease tensions, officials say they are intensifying research and vaccination efforts. According to the Ariège Prefecture:

84% of the département’s cattle had been vaccinated as of December 26th.
The goal is to vaccinate all 1,000 farms in Ariège by year’s end.
Between 600,000 and 750,000 cattle across ten southwestern departments are targeted nationwide.

However, many farmers say vaccination came too late and too slowly, and that the damage has already been done.

A Divided Agricultural World

While the FNSEA, France’s largest farming union, supports the government’s cautious stance, both the Coordination Rurale and the Confédération Paysanne strongly condemn it. They argue for a case-by-case veterinary approach instead of wholesale culling, pointing to examples in other European countries where containment strategies rely on targeted isolation, disinfection, and vaccination rather than widescale destruction.

This divide reflects a deeper rift within the French agricultural landscape — between traditional union leadership tied to government institutions and grassroots farmers demanding more autonomy and scientific nuance.

An Unresolved Crisis

So far, 115 outbreaks have been detected across 11 departments, all declared “extinguished” through total depopulation. Yet the cycle of slaughter followed by compensation continues to erode rural morale. Protesters vow to maintain pressure, blocking roads and administrative sites until their concerns are heard.

For now, the Foix tunnel blockade stands as a potent symbol of rural defiance — a cry for change echoing through the valleys of the Pyrenees.