France eases conditions for selective culling in animal tuberculosis cases

Bovine tuberculosis is an infectious disease that can affect all mammals, including humans. Since 2001, efforts by the French government and the cattle industry have allowed France to achieve official disease-free status. One of the measures implemented to combat tuberculosis is the eradication of the disease in affected herds. This may involve the complete destruction of an infected herd or, with special permission, the alternative method of selective culling. Since 2014, nearly half of the approximately one hundred outbreaks identified each year have taken advantage of this option. With a decree published yesterday, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Industry and Food Sovereignty of France eases the conditions for admissibility on the protocol for selective slaughter. The changes are: - The maximum number of infected cattle in a herd that allows destruction through selective slaughter has been increased: Two infected cattle in a herd of 20 or fewer; Three infected cattle in a ...