France eager to ship cows to Algeria again

Published Jun 3, 2024

Tridge summary

Approximately 800 bull calves have been transported from Sète, France, to Tunisia as part of a trade deal, despite the recent outbreak of epizootic haemorrhagic disease (EMD) in France. This condition, while not harmful to humans, has led to the exclusion of France from the Maghreb market, previously its primary destination for cattle exports. The disease has disrupted the flow of live livestock, particularly bovine, leading to a decline in Sète's standing as a European hub for live livestock exportation. French farmers are now looking for alternative markets to offset the loss, with Algeria potentially reopening its borders despite ongoing diplomatic tensions. The reopening of Algeria's market is anticipated to drive up prices for the entire French cattle industry, affecting breeders who have had to offload their animals at higher prices to non-EU countries amidst reduced European herd sizes and persistent Italian demand.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

In Sète, 800 bull calves embark for Tunisia. The young males were loaded into trucks before dawn, about three hours' drive away, at Jérôme Larroque's farm. This trader chartered a boat to transport them to his customers in Tunisia. He sums up his job: “We buy them, we vaccinate them, we sell them.” It is also now necessary to disinsect them and ensure that they do not carry epizootic haemorrhagic disease (EMD), transmitted by biting midges. The disease detected for the first time in France in September did not cause a health cataclysm - it is not transmissible to humans, it is rarely fatal in cattle. On the other hand, it has shaken up trade: international trade is subject to new restrictions. However, France, with the largest cattle herd in the European Union, does not keep all the animals born on its soil. She sells a large part of her males in Italy, Spain and beyond. They will be fattened and slaughtered on site. On the French shores of the Mediterranean, Sète has just lost ...

Source: Bfmtv