Sélection et descente anticipée des estives en Haute-Garonne
Persistent drought in Haute-Garonne has forced Frédéric Ruau, a livestock farmer based in Juzet-d’Izaut, to haul hay high into the mountain pastures to feed his cattle, ladepeche.fr reported. By Monday, October 5, 2026, the producer had already burned through one-third of his annual forage supply. Fodder prices have tripled.
Dry conditions have stripped fields and mountain grasslands of fresh grass. Across multiple high-altitude grazing zones, herders have started bringing sheep down more than a month ahead of schedule, according to agricultural unions cited by ladepeche.fr. In the Hautes-Pyrénées, union representatives described conditions in local pastures as completely scorched, likening the withered grass to a doormat.
Transporting heavy forage supplies to Plaède
Driving a four-wheel drive vehicle with a heavy trailer loaded with two large bales of fodder, Ruau makes the trek up mountain tracks from the Col de Buret. After the paved road ends, the journey requires another 30 minutes of driving across rough terrain to reach the Plaède prairie.
Upon arrival, a brief call brings roughly 20 cows running across the dry ground. Ruau stated that he normally requires 1,000 bales of forage per year, but has already consumed 300 bales, forcing him to purchase additional stock at triple the usual cost.
Fatal accident on treacherous mountain terrain
Higher up the slopes, livestock management complications compound the feed crisis. Two cows strayed from the main group, pushed into unfamiliar territory by unknown disturbances that may include predators.
While monitoring the herd, Ruau learned that a cow on a separate pasture died following a fall on a slick slope. Animals searching for food are climbing into hazardous zones they normally avoid, prompting the farmer to begin bringing the remaining livestock down immediately.
Relocating herds to equally barren lowlands
Moving the animals off the mountain does not solve the underlying feed shortage. Pastures in the valleys face the same lack of food.
Farmers who turned their herds out later in the season now face early descents.
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