France passes law protecting the sounds and smells of the countryside

Senators voted to approve the law, which was passed by the lower house of parliament last year on Thursday, according to a statement from Joël Giraud, the minister of rural affairs.

Giraud said he celebrated the adoption of the law, which aims to “define and protect the sensory heritage of the French countryside”.

A better understanding of the typical “sounds and smells” of rural areas will be useful in “avoiding disagreements between neighbors,” the statement continued.

Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron, in western France, was the rural community at the center of Maurice le Coq’s 2019 trial.

Hemis / Alamy

Regional authorities will be responsible for defining “rural heritage, including its sensory identity,” said Giraud.

“This is a real victory for rural communities,” he added. “Do your part, let’s preserve the countryside.”

France has seen an increasing number of social conflicts between long-time residents of rural communities and newcomers.

One iconic case involved a rooster called Maurice, who went on trial in July 2019 after neighbors complained about his early crows.

However, a court in Rochefort, western France, dismissed neighbors’ complaints of noise pollution and ordered them to pay € 1,000 (approximately $ 1,200) in damages.

The affair came to symbolize the growing divisions between rural and urban France, with neighbors being city dwellers who only visited Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron a few times a year.

“It’s a rooster. Roosters want to crow,” said Corinne Fesseau, owner of Maurice, during the trial.

“This is the campaign. We have to protect the countryside,” she added.

Christophe Sueur, mayor of Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron, told CNN the verdict was “common sense”, adding: “I am all for the preservation of French traditions. The cry of the cock is a French tradition which must be preserved. “