In this small town in the Jura, the maintenance of green spaces has been entrusted to a herd of goats

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Originally from Beaujolais, Alfred Sothier has been the goatherd of the communal herd formed in 2015 to manage naturally the maintenance of landscaped areas from the town of Morez, in the Jura.

“I spent three years at agricultural high school from Davayé, then followed a viticulture training before working in different agricultural sectors, notably viticulture, mixed farming and livestock breeding,” says Alfred Sothier. In 2010, he joins municipal services as a sanitation agent, before embarking on this innovative ecological maintenance initiative green spaces.

72 goats

The herd, initially made up of twenty goats from Foncine-le-Haut, today has seventy-two beastsand Alfred Sothier even plans to increase the number to optimize the maintenance of the twelve zoness concerned in town. This year, favorable weather conditions have accelerated the plant growthreinforcing the need for a larger herd.

In spring, eleven kids came to enlarge the small communityanimals to which the goatherd is particularly attached. “They are cuddly,” he confides with a smile.

Passionate about his profession, Alfred Sothier also devotes a lot of time to maintenance of fencesessential to ensure the safety of the herd. A third of the fences are mobile, while the others are fixed, placed along the roads. He also wants to remind residents the essential rules of cohabitation : make sure to close the gates, keep the dogs on a leash and avoid feeding the goats, instructions clearly posted around the enclosures.

A new sheepfold

This year also marks a turning point for Alfred and his goats, with the inauguration of a new sheepfold modern in Morez-Dessus. “It’s very functional for my work, and for the goats, it’s a real bright five star,” he says.

Until now, wintering was done in a building on the Monette farm, located in the heights of Les Chalettes, a place recently sold by the city to a couple wishing to develop an agro-tourism activity there. In mid-November, the herd will join this brand new sheepfold to spend the winter there in ideal conditions.

The 230 m² construction was carried out with local materialsthe structural work and the framework being the work of the Taglione company, using wood from the Mouille forest. The city's technical services took care of the interior cladding, and a mezzanine was fitted out to store local fodder, thus offering Alfred a perfectly suitable work space.

Three years before retirement, Alfred Sothier plans to continue this adventure as long as his health allows him. For this nature loverhis role as goatherd combines respect for the environment and passion for his job, a mission that he plans to extend with pleasure.

René Delobelle (CLP)

Please note…The construction of the new sheepfold is part of a plan to develop pastoral areas, with the creation of a lodge and reinforcement of fixed fences in the pastures. The entire project was costed at 200,000 Euros, for which aid was granted: 19,422 euros from the EU via the EAFRD fund, 11,407 euros from the region, 82,847 euros from the Massif Commission under the Mountain Future Plan.

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