Too many noises, too many smells, too many flies. Vincent Verschuere’s cows made the mistake of disturbing the neighbors who had the breeder condemned to justice. He will have to pay them more than 100,000 euros in damages. It is an “abnormal neighborhood disturbance”, ruled the Court of Appeal in April 2022. Since then, the FNSEA has been mobilizing to support it. On Friday May 6, the president of the federation, Christiane Lambert, will thus be on her farm in Saint-Aubin-en-Bray, in Oise, alongside the president of the department Nadège Lefebvre, and that of the region, Xavier Bertrand.
A farm located rue de la mare, where it is difficult to distinguish the farm from the other houses. All in length, it is actually located behind the dwelling house. A usual layout here: “In the Oise, mining was at the heart of the villages”, explains Vincent Verschuere. At 33, the rancher represents the fourth generation of farmers to live here.
When he took over the family business in 2009, he had to quickly bring himself up to standard. “We were told: ‘It’s not complicated either you bring it up to standard and you rebuild, or you stop breeding.’ We started looking for land to put ourselves further away from the houses, but the owners didn’t want to sell so we had to build this building where we own it.”
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This is where the trouble begins. He obtained two building permits to house 80 dairy cows, two hangars of 2,800 m². Because the buildings are less than 100 m from the dwellings, an exemption is granted. Residents obtain the cancellation of the permits in 2013. New trial in 2018, this time for “abnormal disturbance of the neighborhood”. The farmer was then sentenced and his sentence was confirmed on appeal in January 2022. A petition and a kitty were launched. An appeal in cassation should follow soon. But today Vincent Verschuere is a bit bitter.
“20 years ago in the Oise, we were 750 dairy farmers. Today, we have already fallen to less than 350. If, tomorrow, we are faced with convictions like that which are multiplying, there will be just none.”
Vincent Verschuere, breeder in Saint-Aubin-en-Brayat franceinfo
In his fight, he received the support of the FNSEA and therefore of the elected officials because the fight today becomes political based on a recent law, promulgated in 2021. This is the so-called law of the sensory heritage of the countryside, of which no one didn’t take the measure well. “The law was enacted but the judge came and said it’s fine for a ringing bell or a crowing rooster but it doesn’t apply to a farm”deplores Vincent Verschuere.
In the courtyard of the farm, Michel, Vincent’s father, observes the whole story with desolation: “We could be neighbors and be on good terms, but that’s not possible.” Neither the residents nor their lawyer wished to speak publicly. As an aside, the lawyer insists on the attack on public health represented by the exploitation. Vincent Verschuere, he points to this other neighbor, who had an outdoor swimming pool built just 20 meters from the farm.