Russia spreads fake news about 'infected' livestock in France caused by Ukrainian feed
Russian propagandist Telegram channels and bots on X have circulated a video alleging an outbreak of lumpy skin disease among cattle in France. The posts claim that a local independent laboratory supposedly concluded the outbreak was caused by low-quality Ukrainian grain contaminated with mold and mosquito larvae. The posts referred to a publication by the French agribusiness outlet La France Agricole.
However, this claim is false. No such article exists on the outlet's official website. Instead, it appeared on a clone site. The legitimate publication uses the domain lafranceagricole.fr, while the fake site used franceagricole.net. According to the WhoIs service, the fake domain was registered on February 12, 2026 – just a week before the story about "contaminated Ukrainian grain" was published.
The fabricated article also falsely listed Stephane Foucart, a journalist from Le Monde, as its author. However, information on his LinkedIn profile shows that he has never worked for La France Agricole.
By the time this fact-check was published, the clone website had already been removed, although archived copies remain accessible via Internet Archive.
The video circulated by propagandists also lacked the La France Agricole logo. After analyzing the footage, Ukrinform's fact-checkers found that the video had been edited from a report by the French TV channel France 24 about a 2025 outbreak of lumpy skin disease in cattle. The original report did not mention Ukraine or Ukrainian grain.
The fake story is aimed at discrediting Ukrainian products on the EU market. Through such narratives, propagandists attempt to convince Western audiences that Ukraine is a supposed "source of problems" rather than a reliable ally and partner.
Earlier, Russian propaganda also circulated fake videos intended to discredit Ukrainians in France.
Andriy Olenin
