Thousands of farmers in southwestern France blocked roads and set hay bales on fire on Saturday to protest against the killing of cows due to a skin disease, AFP reports.
The government said one million cattle would be vaccinated.
French farmers are angry at the government's tough response to an outbreak of lumpy skin disease.
On Friday, veterinarians slaughtered a herd of more than 200 cows in a village near the Spanish border after discovering a single case of the disease. Police had to disperse the angry farmers as they escorted a team to carry out the culling. Several unions said the slaughter of entire herds was ineffective, calling for blockades across France "to put an end to this madness." On Saturday, dozens of tractors blocked traffic, while others parked in front of public buildings. Farmers burned straw and tires. Nearly 150 kilometers of the A64 highway between Bayonne and Tarbes were closed to traffic due to blockades that began late on Friday. Authorities registered 43 demonstrations or incidents across the country, bringing together 2,000 protesters, some of which were marred by clashes. Lumpy skin disease cannot be transmitted to humans, but can be fatal to livestock.