FARMER SUES FRENCH MINISTRY OF DEFENSE AFTER TWO LOW-FLYING FIGHTER PLANES ‘FRIGHTEN 4,800 CHICKENS TO DEATH’
By Peter Allen
Mail Online
August 27, 2010
A French farmer is suing his country’s Ministry of Defense after two low-flying fighter jets caused 4,800 of his chickens to drop dead.
Etienne Le Mehaute said there was an 'almighty din' when the planes passed over his farm in Pelguien, Brittany, on Tuesday afternoon.
'We were having lunch when there this enormous roar of engines,' said Mr. Le Mahaute. ‘We could feel the shockwaves down our back.
‘The chickens were absolutely terrified and thousands dropped dead. We piled their bodies up and there were some 4,800 who did not pull through.’
Mr. Le Mehaute, who has around 68,000 birds in total, wants £12,000 from the MoD for his loss.
MoD spokesman Frederic Solano has confirmed two jets were in the area at the time, but denied they broke low-flying regulations. He said an investigation into the deaths had been launch.
The British government regularly pays out compensation to civilians who complain about noisy military jets.
Last year defense chiefs paid out £42,000 to a Staffordshire farmer whose chickens laid fewer eggs because they were frightened by the Red Arrows display team.
And another £117,000 was handed over to a Yorkshire racehorse owner after the animal injured itself when it was spooked by jets.
A total of £7.6million has been paid out in damages over the past four years because of military noise pollution, according to official documents released earlier this year.
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