Environment: where is the fight against polluting companies?

The fight against companies that pollute is advancing. The journalist Arnaud Boutet gave an example, Thursday, October 20, on the set of 19/20: “In the Doubs, in the country of the County, two dairies were sentenced in June for general water pollution. Their treatment plant did not comply with their level of production. The soils and rivers were polluted. According to the fishing federation, thousands of fish died.”

Is it complicated to condemn a company? “For a long time, some preferred to pay sometimes minimal fines rather than large investments to be in good standing. Today, convictions could set a precedent. There are more investigations, even if it is complicated to prove air, water or soil pollution”says the journalist. There are about fifteen environmental police officers per department, but twice as many are needed. This summer, Gerald Darmanin promised 3,000 specialized gendarme posts. “Many jurisdictions have an environmental magistrate. A specialist therefore, but who devotes only half a day a week to pollution investigations”concludes Arnaud Boutet.