Lumpy Skin Disease threatens Comté Cheese Production as Farmers Face Mass Culling
Doubs, Jura – December 4, 2025 – A rapidly unfolding outbreak of lumpy skin disease is casting a shadow over farms in the Doubs department and the wider Comté cheese-producing region of Jura, prompting fears of widespread livestock losses and disruption to France’s oldest protected Designation of Origin (AOP) cheese. Authorities have already authorized the culling of 83 cows on one farm, with the potential for “dozens or even hundreds” more animals to be slaughtered as the disease spreads.
the outbreak has ignited tensions between farmers, animal rights activists, and government officials. Clashes erupted between police and farmers protesting the planned culling, while activists advocated for confining affected farms to prevent further animal deaths. However, the departmental director of the DDETSPP (Direction Départementale de l’Environnement, de l’Aménagement et du Logement) argued that a stable is not a secure confinement, as disease-carrying insects like flies and horseflies can travel up to 5 km.
Jérémy Boillon, a breeder in Cerneux-Monnot, faces the potential loss of his 85-cow herd.”This disease coudl lead us to slaughter an entire herd,” he stated. “They represent decades of genetics and generations of breeders. We are talking about compensation, but it will be less given the damage we suffer. Not to mention the moral damage: you should know that a breeder gets up every morning to see his animals. imagining an empty stable is heartbreaking…”
The situation follows initial cases of lumpy skin disease discovered in Savoie earlier in 2025, where farmers were initially told that complete herd slaughter was the only solution. Boillon now questions this approach,suggesting,”Wouldn’t it be possible to study an affected herd to see what’s happening? (Editor’s note: the mortality rate is between 1 and 5%.) At this time of year, there is little contact, fewer insects, why not imagine other solutions?”
The potential loss of herds also threatens the viability of local agricultural cooperatives. Boillon’s milk is collected by the organic farming cooperative in Cerneux-Monnot, and he warns that replacing his organic Montbéliard cows would be “almost impossible,” jeopardizing ongoing investments.
The Comté AOP produces 65,000 tonnes of cheese annually, and the region is now bracing for further action as authorities monitor the expansion of the surveillance zone. The outbreak underscores the vulnerability of the region’s agricultural economy to animal disease and raises questions about preventative measures and alternative strategies to mass culling.
