Unusual event this Wednesday morning in downtown Nantes. About fifty sheep breeders, accompanied by 350 animals, came to express their anger, a few meters from the prefecture, following repeated thefts in Loire-Atlantique. At least 350 sheep have indeed been stolen since the beginning of January in more than twenty farms. A phenomenon far superior to previous years and which concerns this department in particular.
"It won't continue like this!" alarmed Vivien Mahé, breeder at Ancenis. We are asking for support from the public authorities, but so far our calls have gone unanswered. This time, we hope to be heard. "
"It happened in the open field, at night"
Established for 12 years in Sion-les-mines, near Châteaubriant, Elodie Crossouard suffered at the beginning of March the disappearance of 13 ewe lambs, or 20% of her flock. “It happened in the open field, at night, like most colleagues. It was discovered in the morning that the fences had been cut. There were many footprints and tires. The animals were traumatized, some had thread hanging from their legs. It is not only sheep that are lost but also years of genetic work, opportunities to renew the herd. "
To avoid theft, breeders equip themselves with cameras, carry out night patrols, alert neighbors. "It's a lot of stress and fatigue," says Elodie Crossouard. It has consequences for our families. And then how do you motivate young people to settle down? Already it is a profession where it is difficult to generate income. "
Aid from the region and the state?
Thefts can occur year-round. But the peak occurs "before religious festivals where sheep are eaten". The majority of the cases remain unsolved. One of them led, however, in May to the arrest of four men living in a Roma camp near Nantes and the sentencing of a repeat offender to one year in prison.
This Wednesday noon, at the end of a meeting with the prefect, the farmers united in a collective say they have obtained financial support from the regional council of Pays-de-la-Loire to develop video protection on their farms. A research program for the installation of geolocatable fleas on sheep must also be funded by the State and the region.
Society
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Nantes
Nantes: The gendarmes arrest three minivans and discover there… 32 living sheep
- Gendarmerie
- Sheep
- Society
- Nantes