The French department of Isère has been hit by an epidemic of a new variant of bluetongue disease.

The virus is carried by small midges and can cause mouth ulcers, difficulty breathing and fever in sheep and cattle. In serious cases, it can be fatal.

Thirty-one animals have been infected, according to the French government, with local authorities suspecting around a further hundred cases.

In Poliénas, sheep farmer Cédric Ruzzin has seen 55 of his 150 animals die.

“These animals are affected. They’ve lost weight, they’re drooling and swelling. I have animals with fevers of over 40,” Ruzzin said.

Officials suggest that farms and local government were late to recognise the new strain of the virus, meaning it had already spread into herds of cattle before it could be prevented.

“You can’t treat the disease itself. We can only try to alleviate the symptoms and get the animals over the hump,” Aurore Tosti, Director of Isère Health Defence Group said.

The virus has also been detected in the regions of Nord, Aisne and Ardennes — heightening concerns that it could be a symptom of a larger outbreak.

The new strain reportedly first appeared across Dutch farms, and has since caused outbreaks in Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, as well as France.

In Belgium, over 500 farms have been impacted by the new strain of the virus since it was first recognised in October 2023.

Belgium’s Federal Minister for Agriculture David Clarinval has called for the sector to be recognised as one in “crisis” as a result of the impact of bluetongue cases.

The French government has responded by distributing 6.4 million doses of vaccine to areas most hit by the new strain, called the BTV3 serotype. Out of the vaccines distributed, 1.1 million will be given to sheep and a further 5.3 million have been reserved for cattle.

Regulated zones have also been put around areas affected in an attempt to contain the outbreak.

For Tosti, however, the solution has come too late for some farms. “Vaccination is the solution, but we’re too late. Unfortunately it’s a disease we can be pretty helpless against it once it’s in the herd, because all we can do is treat the symptoms, ” she told Euronews.