With a serious, concerned expression, Jean-Louis Binette, a farmer in Saint-Pierre-Bellevue in the south of Creuse, points to a corner of meadow that is more brown than green. “The wild boars came back this morning. They turned over the soil looking for earthworms. » It has now been around ten years since part of its 150 hectares of meadow has been degraded annually by the passage of wild boars. “Every year, they gain ground. I'm fed up! “, he confides exasperated. At his side, his brother-in-law, also a farmer, adds:
There have always been wild boars, but now they are more and more numerous and it is becoming unmanageable. Every morning we see damage, damage and more damage. We can't take it anymore!
Based in Vidaillat, Thierry Ballet farms nearly 300 hectares in which he cultivates cereals, corn and meadows. “Last winter, the wild boars passed through the meadows. In summer, in cereals and then until recently it was in corn. Now that we have collected the ears, they will return to the meadows. They are there all the time. »
Unfortunately for them, these two farmers are located in the South of Creuse, the region of the department most affected by big game damage, along with the South-West. “These are heavily wooded geographical areas, favorable to the development of wild boars and difficult to hunt,” reports Peggy Chevilley, head of the Rural Space and Terrestrial Environments office of the Departmental Territorial Directorate.
The problem is that this damage is expensive. For each plot returned, Thierry Ballet plows, weeds, fungicides and replants seeds. A series of tasks that add up quickly: “Not counting the cost of the work, restoring one hectare requires around 1,000 euros. » Add to this the loss of income when the corn is not eaten by livestock but by game. “40 tons of corn less means four cows, intended for sale, less to fatten. » And then, the wear of the tools. “It’s not going to put the farm on notice but we’re not far from it,” storms the farmer.
