"We would like the nightmare to stop". Laurent Valleran, a farmer near Lubrizol factory in Rouen who burned on Thursday, September 26, is worried.
In this family farm, traces of pollution were visible only a few hours after the fire. "The pollution is deposited in the cornets of leaves," says Jean-Francois Valleran, who was about to harvest its 22 hectares at the time of the tragedy.
"The beans are already too ripe, so what we hope is to be able to at least recover the noble part of the corn," he says.
To cope with the damage caused by industrial pollution, these farmers, supported by a surge of solidarity, were able to buy maize. The 65 cows raised on this farm and fed on corn had to be sheltered. Four thousand liters of milk were also thrown away.
While the consequences of the drama are already observed on crops, Laurent Valleran think long term. He wonders if the explosion will have "repercussions on the cows", as possible "problems of fertility".
The activity of more than 2,000 farms is now suspended from the results of the analyzes. In this regard, the Minister of Health, Agnès Buzyn, acknowledged Wednesday, October 2, that "nobody knows exactly what gives these mixed products when they burn".