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French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday inaugurated the annual Paris Agriculture Fair without cows and without the country’s two main farmer unions.
The unions boycotted the traditional meeting with the president in a bid to highlight the difficulties faced by farmers due to economic pressures and concerns over the EU’s trade deal with the South American Mercosur bloc.
Cows have been banned at Europe’s largest agricultural show in Paris this year for the first time ever after an outbreak of lumpy skin disease in France sparked fears of contamination, according to organisers.
Read moreWhy is Paris’s annual agriculture show such a big deal in France?
The opening came a day after France lifted most of the curbs that were imposed on moving cattle to stop the spread of lumpy skin disease, French Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard said on Friday.
The highly contagious lumpy skin disease, mainly spread by biting insects, causes fever and painful skin lumps, weakens animals and reduces milk output. France has recorded 117 outbreaks, primarily in areas near the Alps and the southwest.
“Since we have had no cases of lumpy skin disease since January 2 (…) we are lifting all restrictions except for a very small area in the Pyrenees-Orientales, which is linked to a case in Spain,” Genevard told France Inter radio.
“This means that we can return to normal life, that we can trade again, that we can move these animals again,” she said.
Organisers of the Paris Agriculture Fair said last month that no cattle would be exhibited at the Paris event this year for the first time in its history, citing concerns about the disease.
Read moreParis’s annual agriculture show will be cow-free for first time ever due to lumpy skin disease
“The farmers have chosen to be cautious. I understand them, I respect them,” Genevard said, referring to the decision.
The 500 to 600 cattle usually present at the Paris Agriculture Fair are a major attraction at the annual event, which draws about 600,000 people, and are popular with children eager to see farm animals up close.
The government’s handling of the outbreak, which included culling entire herds in contaminated areas, has been criticised by some French farmers. Anger over the issue was among the drivers of protests in Paris last month.
France has been the European country most affected by lumpy skin disease, though outbreaks have also been reported in Italy and Spain.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)
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