Farmers in southwest France are defying appeals for a holiday pause and keeping key motorways such as the A64 blocked today, prolonging severe disruption for families and freight as the Christmas travel rush intensifies.

Tractors, hay bales and improvised barricades remain in place on several major routes, slowing or diverting traffic for hundreds of kilometers at the very moment millions of people are trying to cross the country for seasonal gatherings and ski departures.

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Blockades Grip Southwest Arteries Despite Truce Appeals

On December 22, the A64 between Toulouse and Bayonne remains the symbolic epicenter of the movement, with lines of tractors and farm machinery occupying stretches of the motorway near Carbonne and Lescar.

The road has faced rolling closures and severe restrictions since mid‑December, forcing private drivers and commercial hauliers onto secondary routes already under strain.

Regional roads authorities have repeatedly urged motorists to postpone non‑essential trips or plan substantially longer journey times.

Other major southwest axes are also affected, including segments of the A63 and A65 serving the Atlantic coast and the Spanish border, and parts of the A20 and A89 linking the region with central France.

In some locations, motorway entrances and exits have been targeted rather than the entire carriageway, creating sporadic bottlenecks that can be difficult for travelers to anticipate.

Local prefectures have activated crisis cells to coordinate with police, motorway operators and farming unions hour by hour.

While some access has been restored on certain stretches over the weekend, the persistence of roadblocks on the A64 and neighboring routes underlines the determination of the most hard‑line protest organizers.

For many travelers in and out of Toulouse, Tarbes, Pau and the wider Pyrenees foothills, what is usually a smooth half‑day motorway drive has turned into a patchwork of detours, back roads and unexpected overnight stops.

Rail services have not escaped the disruption either. Earlier in the week, protesters briefly blocked a rail line in Haute‑Garonne, and the risk of further actions targeting key junctions or level crossings remains a concern for regional authorities watching the unfolding holiday timetable.

Anger Over Cattle Culls Fuels a Deep Rural Revolt

The immediate trigger for the blockades is deep anger in cattle‑rearing regions over the government’s response to an outbreak of lumpy skin disease, known locally as dermatose nodulaire contagieuse.

Under current sanitary rules, the detection of a single infected animal can lead to the culling of an entire herd, a policy that many farmers say destroys years of investment and irreplaceable genetic lines in a single day.

Televised images of police‑escorted veterinary teams arriving at farms in Ariège and other departments to supervise mass culls have crystallized rural frustration.

In one widely discussed case earlier this month, over 200 cows were slaughtered at a single holding near the Spanish border after one confirmed infection, sparking clashes between farmers and police and giving new momentum to calls for direct, highly visible protest action.

At roadside camps along the A64, farmers describe the mass‑cull approach as both economically ruinous and scientifically disproportionate now that a vaccination campaign is finally under way.

They argue that targeted culling of infected animals, combined with widespread preventive vaccination, would protect both public health and farm livelihoods more effectively than the current blanket slaughter orders.

Beneath the immediate health crisis, however, lies a deeper malaise in the French farming sector. Protesters speak of rising production costs, pressure from foreign competition, regulatory burdens and uncertainty around a planned trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries.

Many fear that the deal could open the door to cheaper imports produced under less stringent sanitary and environmental standards, further eroding the viability of French livestock operations.

Divisions Among Unions Over a Christmas Travel Truce

The government and France’s largest farming union, FNSEA, have both called for a “Christmas truce” to ease pressure on transport networks between Christmas and New Year.

The FNSEA leadership signaled in recent days that it did not wish to spoil family reunions and hinted that many organized actions could be paused or scaled back if the government offered concrete concessions in writing.

Yet on the ground in the southwest, influential regional groups aligned with smaller, more combative unions such as Coordination Rurale and Confédération Paysanne are refusing to fold their banners.

Local leaders say they will maintain or reconfigure blockades until authorities formally renounce the policy of systematic herd slaughter and commit to broad vaccination, both in already affected zones and in neighboring buffer areas.

This divergence has created a patchwork of responses across the country. In some regions, notably parts of the north and east, actions have eased or shifted into slower‑moving convoys that disrupt traffic without fully blocking roads.

In the southwest, where the economic and emotional toll of the disease outbreak has been particularly acute, farmers show little appetite for a break, even during Christmas week.

The government has warned that security forces are authorized to intervene if vital corridors remain obstructed, especially should emergency services or essential freight be impeded.

Officials are treading a fine line between respecting the right to protest and protecting the freedom of movement during one of the most sensitive travel periods of the year.

Holiday Getaways Thrown Into Disarray

For travelers, the timing could scarcely be worse. The final weekend before Christmas and the days that follow are traditionally among the busiest on French roads, as families crisscross the country to visit relatives and head toward ski resorts in the Pyrenees and the Alps.

With the A64 and several connecting routes compromised, journeys into the southwest are subject to long delays and last‑minute changes.

Families driving from Paris, Lyon or Bordeaux toward destinations like Lourdes, Biarritz or small Pyrenean villages report detouring onto national and departmental roads for hours at reduced speeds.

In many cases, motorists encounter improvised protest camps where tractors, hay bales, banners and even Christmas trees line the roadway.

Some farmers have set up barbecues and makeshift canteens, offering food and hot drinks to stranded travelers while explaining the reasons for their movement.

Tourism operators in ski stations accessible via the A64 and nearby arteries are monitoring the situation closely.

While trains and flights provide alternatives for some visitors, the bulk of domestic holidaymakers still arrive by car, and extended disruption could depress late bookings or force staggered arrivals.

Hoteliers in spa towns and mountain villages report a spike in last‑minute calls from guests seeking reassurance that they will be able to reach their accommodation in time for Christmas Eve.

Freight companies moving food, retail goods and industrial components are also feeling the strain. Long‑haul drivers have described overnight queues on approach roads and rest areas filled beyond capacity as they wait for word that a stretch of motorway has reopened.

Even when authorities secure a limited clearance, the sudden release of pent‑up traffic can create fresh jams downstream, rippling the disruption far beyond the immediate protest zone.

Government Measures: Vaccination Drive and Negotiations

Confronted with mounting disruption and heavy criticism from rural France, the government has accelerated its technical and political response.

In recent days, authorities have drafted in military support to speed up a vast vaccination campaign in the affected southwest regions, transporting hundreds of thousands of doses from abroad and deploying army veterinarians alongside civilian teams.

The stated objective is to vaccinate the vast majority of cattle in high‑risk zones within weeks, thereby reducing both the need for preventive culls and the fear among farmers that a single positive test will devastate their herd.

The agriculture ministry has described vaccination as a “horizon of hope” for breeders and insists that the epidemiological situation is under control, citing a relatively limited number of active infection sites compared with the peak of the crisis.

Politically, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard have spent the days before Christmas in a flurry of meetings with union leaders and regional representatives.

The government has signaled it is willing to review the strictness of cull protocols and improve compensation schemes, while reiterating that disease control and public health cannot be compromised.

Talks have also touched on broader grievances, from the impact of international trade deals to the burden of environmental regulations and the financial stability of small and medium‑sized farms.

Union representatives are pressing for written commitments and legislative timetables, wary of accepting a truce on the basis of vague promises. Whether those documents arrive in time to sway protesters on the A64 remains uncertain.

What Travelers Can Expect in the Coming Days

As of December 22, travelers heading through southwest France should continue to expect significant, sometimes sudden, disruption on the A64 and on connecting motorways such as the A63, A65, A20 and A89.

Conditions may vary by hour as local prefects negotiate partial openings or diversions with protest leaders. The situation is particularly fluid near Toulouse, Tarbes, Pau and key junctions toward the Spanish border and Andorra.

Drivers are advised to allow a generous time margin, keep fuel tanks topped up and carry water and basic supplies, especially if traveling with children or elderly passengers.

Motorway operators and regional authorities are issuing real‑time traffic alerts via radio and mobile apps, but secondary roads may also become saturated as navigation systems re‑route thousands of vehicles simultaneously.

Airlines and rail operators have, so far, maintained most scheduled services, though some passengers may struggle to reach airports and stations on time.

Travel agencies are recommending that customers leaving from cities in the southwest add extra buffer time for transfers to Toulouse‑Blagnac or regional rail hubs, particularly at peak hours in the late afternoon and early evening.

For foreign visitors driving rental cars from Spain or other neighboring countries into France, the protests may come as a surprise.

Tourism bodies in regions such as Occitanie and Nouvelle‑Aquitaine are working to provide multilingual information on current conditions, while also expressing sympathy for the farmers’ plight.

Local businesses from restaurants to ski hire shops are caught in the middle, dependent both on functioning supply chains and on the goodwill of their agricultural neighbors.

FAQ

Q1. Why are farmers blocking the A64 and other motorways in southwest France?
The blockades are a protest against the French government’s policy of mass culling cattle herds in response to lumpy skin disease and against broader pressures facing the farming sector, including fears over international trade deals and competition from cheaper imports.

Q2. Which roads are most affected right now?
The A64 between Toulouse and Bayonne is the most emblematic axis affected, with additional disruption reported on parts of the A63, A65, A20 and A89, as well as some national roads leading toward the Pyrenees and the Spanish and Andorran borders.

Q3. Are all farming unions supporting the Christmas blockades?
No. The main national union FNSEA has called for a Christmas truce to ease travel, but more hard‑line organizations such as Coordination Rurale and Confédération Paysanne are supporting continued or intermittent blockades in the southwest.

Q4. How long have these protests been going on?
Roadside actions and blockades in the southwest intensified in mid‑December 2025 following high‑profile cattle culls, and some stretches of motorway, including the A64, have seen rolling disruption for more than a week.

Q5. Is it still possible to drive through the region?
Yes, but drivers should expect delays, diversions onto secondary roads and potential last‑minute changes as authorities negotiate with protesters. In many cases traffic is slowed rather than completely stopped, but journey times can increase considerably.

Q6. What is lumpy skin disease and why is it causing such concern?
Lumpy skin disease is a viral infection affecting cattle, causing skin nodules, fever and reduced milk and meat production. It is not considered dangerous to humans, but authorities fear its rapid spread and have used mass culling to contain outbreaks, a strategy that many farmers say is economically and emotionally devastating.

Q7. What is the French government doing to resolve the crisis?
The government has launched a large‑scale vaccination campaign for cattle in affected regions, opened discussions on easing blanket cull policies and held intensive talks with farming unions to address compensation, regulations and trade concerns.

Q8. Could the police forcibly clear the blockades?
Officials say security forces are authorized to intervene if essential corridors remain obstructed or if public safety is at risk, but so far authorities have generally sought negotiated solutions to avoid escalation during the holiday period.

Q9. How are holiday travel plans being affected?
Families driving to visit relatives or reach ski resorts in the Pyrenees are facing longer and less predictable journeys, while freight delays may affect deliveries. Rail and air services largely continue to operate, but access to some stations and airports can be slower than usual.

Q10. What should travelers do if they are planning to cross southwest France in the next few days?
Travelers should check real‑time traffic information before departure, allow substantial extra time, keep fuel and supplies topped up, and remain flexible about routes. If possible, they may consider alternative modes of transport or rescheduling non‑essential trips until the situation stabilizes.