a farmer sentenced to pay compensation to his neighbors for nuisances related to his farm

Wednesday, May 11, in Saint-Aubin-en-Bray (Oise), Vincent Verschuere, farmer, has three months to reduce the noise and odors caused by his farm, under penalty of seeing his buildings destroyed. “The judge, finally, has just said that it is not a problem of management of the exploitation, of cleanliness or this kind of thing, but of proximity with the dwellings”, says Vincent Verschuere. His farm is located 50 meters from the first houses. The law requires a minimum of 100 meters apart, but the breeder had obtained an exemption.

The farmer is now sentenced for abnormal neighborhood disturbances and must pay compensation, which he cannot pay now. Six of his closest neighbors filed a complaint and three moved away. Residents demonstrated in support of the breeder on May 6. “What is most saddening is still the intolerance of a certain number of people”regrets Christiane Lambert, president of the FNSEA.