LSD: end of bovine vaccination on September 30, 2026

Context

In brief

• Mandatory vaccination until September 30, 2026
• Eight-month waiting period starting October 1, 2026
• Targeted surveillance from January 2027
• Disease-free status not before June 1, 2027

Key facts

• Publication → September 24, 2026
• End of vaccination → September 30, 2026
• Start of waiting period → October 1, 2026
• Targeted surveillance → January 2027
• Disease-free country status → not before June 1, 2027

The decision and the timeline

The press release published on September 24, 2026, announces that the mandatory vaccination campaign against Contagious Capripoxvirus (Lumpy Skin Disease) in cattle will end on September 30, 2026, in the Canton of Geneva and in the vaccination zones of the Cantons of Vaud and Valais. Starting October 1, 2026, an eight-month waiting period will begin.

During the waiting period, cantonal veterinary services will maintain enhanced surveillance for any signs attributable to LSD, under the coordination of the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO). Specific rules regarding animal movements will continue to apply. If surveillance results and the evolution of the epizootic situation in Europe remain favorable, Switzerland may regain its LSD disease-free country status not before June 1, 2027.

This measure responds to a situation observed across the border. Since June 2025, outbreaks have occurred in Italy and France; several French outbreaks were identified less than 50 kilometers from the Swiss border. To protect Swiss cattle herds and prevent the introduction of the virus, Switzerland established vaccination zones in the Canton of Geneva and in certain areas of the Cantons of Vaud and Valais. In these zones, several thousand animals have already been vaccinated, while to date, no confirmed case of LSD has been recorded in Switzerland.

For the 2026 season, the FSVO has also prohibited the summer grazing of cattle in France. Mandatory vaccination continues until September 30 in the affected areas to protect animals born in those zones or introduced during the period of biting insect activity. The favorable development makes it possible for the vaccination obligation to lapse on that date, but the interruption does not end the control measures: from October 1, the territories will retain their status as vaccination zones and the amendments to the FSVO ordinance will enter into force.

From January 2027, targeted surveillance will begin in the vaccination zones of the three Cantons, with the aim of confirming the absence of virus circulation in Switzerland. The specific arrangements will be communicated to animal keepers in due course, and surveillance will be adapted to the evolution of the epizootic situation.

Operational details

Animal movements: the transition from 1 October

Easier entry, exits still conditional

The most visible operational change concerns animal traffic. From 1 October 2026, animals originating from territories outside the vaccination zones of the Cantons of Geneva, Vaud and Valais will be able to access those zones without having to be vaccinated after arrival. Access is thus facilitated, while the maintenance of vaccination zone status shows that the end of the obligation does not coincide with the immediate removal of precautions.

For exits, the requirement depends on the animal's protection. The source distinguishes between unvaccinated calves protected by antibodies transmitted from the vaccinated mother, unvaccinated animals or non-immunised calves, and vaccinated animals.

This distinction makes the clinical examination the common point of several pathways. For a calf protected by maternal antibodies, the clinical examination allows exit. For an unvaccinated animal or a non-immunised calf, a negative screening test for the virus or for antibodies is also required, in addition to the clinical examination at the farm of origin. For vaccinated animals transferred inside or outside the zones, the indicated condition is that all animals of the farm of origin have been subjected to a clinical examination.

The comparison between entry and exit is therefore clear-cut. An external animal can enter without vaccination after arrival, but the exiting categories must comply with different conditions. Zones and restrictions may be lifted no earlier than 1 June 2027 if surveillance and the epizootic situation in Europe remain favourable. Until then, movements require attention to the condition applicable to each individual category.

The health framework explains the caution. LSD affects cattle, buffaloes and bison; it is transmitted mainly through bites of blood-feeding flies and mosquitoes and presents characteristic symptoms such as fever, lethargy and skin nodules. It is not transmissible to humans. For those who also consult the portal's economic tools, the cost of living in Switzerland and the salary/tax calculator are available, separate from the veterinary conditions described here.

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Key points

Cosa devono fare i detentori

Una sequenza operativa fino a giugno 2027

Per i detentori di animali, il periodo di attesa richiede una routine precisa. La fonte indica una sequenza pratica: sorvegliare, segnalare i sospetti e applicare la condizione corretta prima di ogni movimento.

1. Dal 1 ottobre 2026, osservare attentamente i propri animali. Febbre, spossatezza e noduli sulla pelle sono i segni caratteristici da riconoscere.

2. Se compare un sospetto, notificare immediatamente il veterinario. I campioni saranno prelevati e inviati in laboratorio per l'analisi.

3. Per l'accesso alle zone, identificare la provenienza: gli animali da territori esterni possono entrare senza dover essere vaccinati dopo l'arrivo.

4. Per l'uscita, controllare la categoria. Un vitello non vaccinato ma protetto dagli anticorpi della madre vaccinata può uscire dopo un esame clinico. Per un animale non vaccinato o un vitello non immunizzato servono un test di screening negativo per il virus o per gli anticorpi e un esame clinico nell'azienda di provenienza. Gli animali vaccinati possono essere trasferiti dentro o fuori dalle zone se tutti gli animali dell'azienda da cui provengono hanno sostenuto un esame clinico.

5. Da gennaio 2027, seguire le indicazioni sulla sorveglianza mirata nelle zone di Geneva, Vaud e Valais. Le modalità saranno comunicate a tempo debito e potranno adattarsi alla situazione epizootica.

Restano valide le raccomandazioni di biosicurezza e protezione dagli insetti. L'USAV continuerà a seguire la situazione in Svizzera e all'estero e adeguerà le misure se necessario. La fine dell'obbligo vaccinale non coincide con la revoca immediata delle zone: in caso di risultati favorevoli, zone e restrizioni potranno essere revocate non prima del 1 giugno 2027 e la Svizzera potrà riottenere lo status di Paese indenne da LSD.

Nel frattempo, ogni decisione di spostamento va collegata alla posizione dell'azienda, allo stato vaccinale o immunitario dell'animale e all'esito degli esami richiesti. Il comunicato mantiene questa distinzione fino alla nuova valutazione della situazione.

Per affiancare questa verifica a uno strumento nazionale sulle altre esigenze economiche, usa il calcolatore stipendio/imposte.

Source: admin.ch