On September 8, 2020, the flexible bag containing the agricultural effluents of an agricultural joint exploitation group (GAEC) suddenly broke in Charchigné, in Mayenne. The flow of the contents of the bag flows into streams, polluting nearby fresh water courses over a length of 6.5 kilometers, according to the investigation carried out by the French Biodiversity Office (OFB).
The investigations reveal negligence on the part of the farmer, who did not follow the retention standards dating from 2013, installations which could have retained the effluent in question.
Read also: Biodiversity, pollution… Why is the state of French waterways considered worrying?
“A significant damage to biodiversity”
At the bar of the Laval court, this Tuesday, November 19, 2024, one of the owners indicates that “the pocket is broken for reasons that I don’t know today”. He specifies that it was not “not full at the time of bursting”finding “too bad he’s being held to account” four years after the events.
The civil party's lawyer, representing two associations, including the Mayenne Federation for Fishing and the Protection of the Aquatic Environment, evokes the negligence of the GAEC and the “non-compliance with imposed standards” which led to a “significant damage to biodiversity and biomass”. The lawyer highlights “specific studies which show the extent of pollution”.
The prosecutor also highlights the “negligence” Who “endangered the river ecosystem” and requires a suspended fine of €30,000.
Installed 11 months before the events
The defense lawyer indicates that more in-depth expertise at the time of the investigation could have determined the reason for the explosion of the bag. He explains that it was installed 11 months before the facts, at a cost of €16,000, and that the farmer was in no way advised by the installer and the manufacturer to install retention measures to avoid pollution. . The lawyer is also surprised by the existence of a confidentiality clause signed by the defendant when purchasing the pouch.
The Laval court sentences the GAEC to a suspended fine of €20,000 and adjourns the case on civil interest to January 17, 2025.
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