Every summer in the mountains, the shepherds drive their flocks to the mountain pastures. Far from the image of Epinal of the shepherd, living alone in nature, many of them are indignant at their accommodation, which is considered too spartan. L’œil du 20h investigated this shepherd’s life.
Tomas Bustaret is in charge of 1200 ewes in Aussois, in Savoie, in the heart of the Vanoise national park. During the mountain pasture, for three weeks he will drive his herd to the high mountains and sleep in a shelter where he leads us. To get there, an hour and a half walk and on site, a sort of wooden tent.
For me, it’s really the worst I’ve ever known.
Tomas Bustaret, shepherd in Aussoisat the eye of 8 p.m.
No windows or toilets. AT inside, a mattress and food for the dogs of the herd.
“My stove here, I don’t even know where I’m going to put myself to eat so I don’t eat in my bed. I don’t know what I’m going to do. And if it rains or if it’s foggy, I don’t don’t even know where I’m going to dry my things, well it’s… for me it’s not going well.”
11 shelters of this type are distributed in the Vanoise national park. About ten years ago, the park had installed them so that the shepherds would be close to their flock in the face of the return of the wolf.
A temporary solution that has lasted too long according to the shepherds. Today they put pressure on the breeders who employ them, cit is up to them to house them properly.
Guy Lathoud is a breeder and employs two shepherds. According to him it is not necessary to invest in these shelters occupied only part of the summer.
“It’s a problem yes, you have to deal with it, they don’t stay there all the time. And then you have to go build a cabin there, it’s not possible.”
He also recalls that most of the season, the shepherds are housed here, in this other chalet, which he says is sufficiently equipped.
“Ah well it’s comfort yes, there’s hot water, electricity, mains drainage, you can’t have better”.
However, the Parc de la Vanoise has just reminded breeders that they must house their shepherds during the summer pastures in good conditions. and encourages “invest in long-lasting solutions that meet employee accommodation standards.”
Xavier Eudes, the director of the Vanoise park recognizes that building in the mountains is complicated and the cost to be distributed between the communes and the pastoral groups is onerous.
“The windows of opportunity to carry out the work are particularly limited as soon as you are at high altitudes. There is also the question of costs, since for some of these solutions we can arrive at projects of the order of 300,000 euros.”
In the meantime, the park offers this less expensive accommodation solution. Two accommodations of this type have already been installed. The shelter of our shepherd in Aussois could be replaced by 2025.
Among our sources:
Excerpt from the Rural Code and maritime fishing
Vanoise National Park – Armadillo
Vanoise National Park – Commission for the allocation of emergency shelters “Saison d’estive 2023”
Press release / petition from ABBASP