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Countryside

Plan for giant chicken farm divides residents and farmers in France

Critics say the plan is ‘social and ecological nonsense’ but proponents say it will boost French chicken production

Helicopter rescues hiker in Alps after ‘patou’ dogs attack

The woman was rescued after calling the police and taking refuge in a tree

‘Traumatised’: Patou dogs attack puppy and owner in car park in Alps

‘My dog was on a lead,’ says the man. The farmer who owns the two Patous says the guard dogs may have been overwhelmed by the soaring numbers of visiting tourists

news

Cockerels, farms smells: new law protects country habits in France

It comes after multiple complaints from new residents about countryside ‘disturbances’

Do you agree? Paris politicians ignore rural France at their peril

Rural voters are looking for leaders outside the Paris bubble who will protect village life, says columnist Nick Inman

PHOTOS: Villages selected for new ‘favourite in France’ title

The public is invited to vote for their favourite on the shortlist in the 12th annual TV contest

The five best places to live in France, according to new ranking

The ranking used a vast array of data and criteria to sort more than 34,900 towns nationwide

Cockerel in French village must leave as it crows too loudly

‘He’s just doing his job as a rooster!’ claims the bird’s owner but neighbours say they cannot sleep

French hunters and cyclists agree to share land after 15-year debate

The two groups have created a rota for use of a 1,000 hectare area in the south

Orange to offer French satellite internet service ‘to rival Starlink’

It will be aimed mainly at people living in remote areas who cannot otherwise access high-speed internet. Rates will be €49.99 a month

Call for action over disappearance of rural footpaths in France

Campaigners say the paths are part of France’s heritage but are are at risk from farmers, residents and developers

PHOTOS: See the places voted ‘Ugliest in France’ in 2023

From Paris to historical Morbihan, the list urges people to ‘not become accustomed to ugliness’

Battle over frog noise in Dordogne not over

The couple ordered to fill in their garden pond to stop the noise of frogs croaking disturbing neighbours say they will appeal.

French mayor decree legally allows noisy cockerels

Noisy countryside cockerels in an Haute-Savoie (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) commune are now legally free to crow to their heart’s content after a mayor took out a decree to preserve “life in the countryside”.

Snakes, wader birds and the wrath of hunters in French countryside

Wildlife spotter Jonathan Kemp shares stories of reptiles, raptors and four flat tyres

‘Hunters should help police rural issues in France’ says hunting boss

The comments come as recent high-profile accidents have reignited the debate over hunting rules, and some authorities call for more regulation and hunting-free days

French housing minister sparks debate over future of detached houses

Emmanuelle Wargon described detached houses with gardens as being an unsustainable model, despite a survey finding that 75% of people in France dream of living in just such houses

Rural France: Success for mobile vans offering crucial services

Fleets of mobile fruit and veg sellers, dog groomers and doctors are becoming increasingly common in France, as entrepreneurs flock to remote and rural areas

Villages in France fed up with weak signal install their own internet

Locals have found their own solution to combat the digital divide that means many parts of the French countryside are network dead zones

Tarn: France’s ‘little Tuscany’ in demand among domestic holidaymakers

Three other Occitanie departments were also included in an Airbnb list of trending summer destinations, reflecting a growing preference for holidays in the countryside in favour of city breaks

Mont Ventoux: Tour de France 2021 climbs the 'Bald Giant' today

As the riders prepare to summit the infamous peak, we explore its history and other ways to visit the redoubtable region

Traps along mountain and country paths in France on the rise

Bikers and walkers should be aware of traps including wires strung across mountain bike and rural paths, or upturned nails hidden along popular routes, gendarmerie warn

Rural mayors raise alarm over French medical deserts

A study has shown that the number of administrative districts without a doctor in France rose by 62% between 2010-17

Cockerel killer: New court case on countryside noise begins

The alleged killer of Marcel the cockerel is to appear in court today as the owner joins fight for legal heritage of ‘countryside sounds and smells’

New enquiry opens into horse mutilation in France

The national police has given an update on its investigations into the incidents as another horse is attacked

Traps on French forest paths endanger bikers and walkers

Cables tied across pathways and hidden planks spiked with nails are causing serious injury and even death for bikers and walkers in the French countryside

Brittany: Homebuyers sign contracts accepting country life

A new clause in contracts for homebuyers in Morbihan confirms they will accept the sights, sounds and smells of country life

French village installs ‘countryside sounds’ sign

The sign, reading ‘Beware, you are in the countryside’ has been installed in the village square, and references sounds such as cow bells, cockerel crowing, and church bells.

New French study finds 32 toxic pesticides in the air

A new study into pesticides found in the air in France has identified 75 different substances, including 32 deemed to be “a priority [to investigate]” due to their potential toxicity and links to cancer and endocrine conditions.

Brigitte Bardot demands right to keep wild boar as a pet

French actress and animal welfare campaigner Brigitte Bardot is calling on authorities in southwest France to allow a woman to keep a wild boar as a pet. After officials refused permission the boar now risks euthanasia.

Rural French property prices to rise post-lockdown?

Ever keen to spot a bargain, buyers were keeping a close eye on the property market during confinement. Many are expecting a post-lockdown dip in prices and are prepared to wait to get a better deal.

French departments give €1m in summer tourist vouchers

Two departments in France have proposed giving away up to €1 million in €100 vouchers this summer, in a bid to encourage visits to the area and revitalise the local economy.

French farmers protest over no-go zones for pesticide

Protesting farmers are demanding the withdrawal of a new law which lays down obligatory no-pesticide zones near housing to avoid contamination.

Trump wine taxes threaten 100,000 jobs in France

At least 100,000 jobs in France could be at risk as the 25% import taxes imposed on French wine by US President Donald Trump continue to affect the industry, wine industry experts have said.

MPs plan to protect France's rural noises and smells

Bill to be heard this week would make rural sounds and aromas part of the 'sensory heritage of the countryside'

Farmers from across France blockade roads in protest

Farmers across France have come together in tractors to block roads into Paris and other major cities to protest against poor economic and social conditions in the farming community.

French court fines farmer €8,000 over cow farm stench

A farmer in central France has been ordered to pay €8,000 after neighbours complained about the intense and “unbearable” smell of his cow farm.

Open 1,000 cafés and kick-start rural life in France

Mayors of France’s 32,221 small communes are being challenged to join a €200million bid to open 1,000 rural cafés and revive village life.

Plans to help with rural transport in France

Airships, car-sharing apps and improved rail services are all part of plans to improve transport in rural areas.

Country sounds are part of rural French life

Second home-owners, get over it...

Rural France still ‘suffers from bad public transport’

Rural areas in France are still suffering from poor public transport links, MPs have said this week as a report on the subject appears to confirm their complaints.

‘Screams for help’ in French town actually a cockerel

A French resident in Indre-et-Loire called the gendarmerie at dawn this week after hearing “screams for help”...but the noise was in fact the crowing of a nearby cockerel.

Another French cockerel owner fights noise ruling

Three weeks after Maurice won France’s heart, the owner of another noisy cockerel has launched a petition to be allowed to keep his bird, despite a court ruling that it needs to go.

French mayor hits back at ‘bee pollen’ complaints

A French mayor is the latest to become exasperated over complaints by new residents to the countryside, after receiving reports of “too much bee pollen”.

One-stop office is reply to rural France’s fears

New one-stop offices are to be set up in rural and isolated city locations to give people easier access to government services.

Famous French countryside cockerel gathers support

Maurice, the most famous cockerel in France - who has become a symbol of the struggle between rural and urban living - will be supported by several other cockerels during his trial this Thursday (July 4).

'Give French countryside sounds protected status'

Mayor calls on MPs to make sounds of the French countryside to be listed as part of the country's 'national heritage'

France homeowners warned on forest fire land clearing

Homeowners in France are reminded that in some regions and for certain properties, it is a legal requirement to carry out a “brush clearing” of surrounding countryside land, to help prevent forest fires.

French dog owners ordered to pay for horse accident

The owners of two dogs that inadvertently caused a serious horse-riding accident have been deemed responsible, and ordered to pay €815,000 in compensation and costs, a French court has ruled.

Remote Breton island seeks organic dairy farmer

The Breton island l’Île d'Ouessant (Ushant), which has 800 inhabitants, is seeking a dairy farmer to produce organic milk on the island.

French town: Mushroom pickers must wear high-vis vests

A commune in the Savoie has made it mandatory for mushroom pickers to wear fluorescent jackets while out picking, in a bid to “be seen and avoid accidents” during hunting season.

Country life ‘ideal’ but...

One in four French people (81%) think country living is the “ideal life”, a new survey shows. This is despite 46% saying the top factor they link to it is “socio-economic difficulties”.

Who lets their dogs out in rural France?

My wife and I have lived happily in rural France for the past 14 years, but the only thing that has detracted from our enjoyment is dogs, or to be more precise, owners of dogs who allow their animals to roam freely, including on the public highway.

Bell moaners are real pain

RE: Your online article about the Parisian holidaymakers who complained about nearby church bells ringing at 7am ( French gîte renters demand time change for church bell ) – what a bunch of prissy pains they are!

"The traditional rural way of life has thinned out"

Author Adam Thorpe speaks to Jane Hanks about French country life and the expat experience

New campaign to boost rural hotels and restaurants

A new national campaign has been launched to boost the rural hotel and restaurant industry, and bring new auberge-style “multi-service inns” to country towns with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants.

Photo of the month: April

Every month we will be sharing a photograph of a place in France. This month we take a look at the Abbaye de Sénanque in Vaucluse, Provence.

Take Santa, Christian Christmas and add pagan ritual

Dr Tim Blakemore, a former senior law lecturer at the University of Northampton, finds some magic in the air and water of modern-day France where he now lives

Nature parks mark 50th birthday

Idea has spread round the world with Chinese asking for advice on protecting natural heritage

On the range with a Catalan cowboy

Saddle up with Perpignan’s Western rancher Nick Verges

Town and country planning

This month, France’s people descend on its coasts and countryside.