France blocks cattle exports
The suspension for nodular dermatitis cases will also create a gap in supply in Italy, which already produces barely 50% of its beef
The ban on cattle exports decided by France to stem the proliferation of cases of bovine nodular dermatitis could lead to a drop in the number of cattle destined for slaughter in Italy as well, starting next spring, according to Massimiliano Ruggenenti, president of the Lombardy Consortium of Beef Producers.
Italy buys broutards, beef calves intended for fattening, from the transalpine country, and the suspension decided by the French minister, Annie Genevard, until 4 November is causing great concern among those working in the sector.
'This suspension will create a hole in supplies and make the Italian system, which already produces barely 50 per cent of its beef, even more fragile,' Ruggenenti continues.
The French choice is likely to produce stock shortages throughout the system (in the rank of European producers, France is the leading supplier of cattle, with a market share of 70 per cent), but it represents the last resort, where preventive culling and the start of the vaccination campaign have failed to produce results.
In 2024, according to figures from the Institut de l'Elevage, Paris exported 940,000 calves (cattle between 4 and 15 months), worth 356 million euros. Italy and Spain account for 61% and 11% of the export market share, respectively.
