Enviro News Asia, Bourgogne — France has lifted the regulated zone for contagious nodular dermatitis (CND) in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, marking a significant step in controlling the bovine disease and enabling the gradual resumption of cattle movements, including cross-border exchanges with Italy.
The decision took effect on 18 January 2026 after veterinary authorities confirmed that no new outbreaks had been detected in the affected areas since 28 November 2025. The regulated zone, initially established following a confirmed case in the Jura department in October 2025, has now been reclassified as a vaccination zone.
French authorities implemented a comprehensive disease control strategy involving mass vaccination of cattle, enhanced surveillance, movement restrictions, and close coordination with farmers, veterinarians, animal health organizations, and state services. These measures successfully contained the spread of the disease in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.
With the transition to vaccination zone status, cattle movements from Bourgogne-Franche-Comté to disease-free areas within France are now permitted under specific sanitary conditions, similar to those already applied in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes vaccination zone.
Italian veterinary authorities have also agreed to apply the same movement conditions to cattle originating from Bourgogne-Franche-Comté as those previously accepted for Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. This agreement allows for the gradual normalization of livestock trade between France and Italy and reflects confidence in France’s animal health controls.
Despite this progress, French authorities continue to enforce strict movement restrictions in the remaining regulated zones, which are now limited to the Occitanie region. Road inspections and veterinary controls remain in place to prevent the unauthorized movement of cattle from regulated areas into disease-free zones.
The French government stated that it will maintain heightened vigilance until all regulated zones are lifted, emphasizing that sustained surveillance and compliance with biosecurity measures remain essential to prevent any resurgence of the disease. (*)
