France urges bluetongue vaccination amid rising outbreaks
This disease transmitted by insect biting, is currently affecting cattle, sheep, and goats across the country. MASA is providing sheep farmers with free doses of vaccines effective against serotype 8 of the disease.
Currently, two serotypes of Bluetongue are circulating in mainland France, causing clinical cases in ruminant animals: serotype 8 (BTV-8) and serotype 3 (BTV-3).
Updated data on identified outbreaks, including numbers and mapping, are available on the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty's website.
Vaccination: An effective and crucial protective measure
To safeguard ruminant herds in exposed regions, farmers are strongly encouraged to vaccinate their animals against both circulating serotypes of Bluetongue.
The sheep population in mainland France, heavily impacted in 2024, particularly by BTV-8 (accounting for 40% of outbreaks in 2025), is a key focus. MASA has ordered seven million doses of BTV-8 vaccine for 2025, sufficient to vaccinate all sheep farms. Orders for these state-funded doses are now open for all sheep farms across mainland France. By reducing viral circulation, this widespread vaccination will indirectly benefit all ruminant herds.
Farmers wishing to participate in this vaccination campaign for sheep should contact their health veterinarian. These veterinarians are responsible for prescribing, ordering, and delivering the vaccine doses from state reserves.
Furthermore, doses of BTV-8 vaccine for cattle and BTV-3 vaccine for both cattle and sheep can be purchased on the private market through health veterinarians.
MASA emphasizes that vaccination is recommended even for farms already affected by the virus. This is because not all animals are infected simultaneously, meaning the vaccine can protect the uninfected portion of the herd. Moreover, for animals already incubating the virus, vaccination can reduce viral shedding and alleviate symptoms.
Annie Genevard, Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, stated: "Faced with the increase in Bluetongue outbreaks, it is crucial to protect ruminant farms now. There is an effective solution to this: vaccination. I call on all farmers to vaccinate their herds".
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