\nAs temperatures rise, parts of the coastline are regularly covered with tons of foul-smelling seaweed. As the organisms decompose, they release hydrogen sulphide \u2013 a highly toxic gas.\n<\/p>\n
\nOn 24 June, a French court ruled<\/a> that the death of a jogger in 2016 on a beach in northern Brittany was due to inhaling this gas. The court accused Paris of failing to comply with EU and national water protection rules.\n<\/p>\n \nBut the tragedy was not an isolated case: Since 1989, an estimated 40 animals and three people have died<\/a> as a result of these algae. The cause of the green tides is no mystery \u2013 it is rooted in the region’s livestock-intensive farming, the backbone of Brittany’s economy.\n<\/p>\n Brittany\u2019s pork obsession \nThe landscape is dotted with large-scale industrial pig farms that produce nitrogen-rich manure, which is then spread over fields as fertiliser.\n<\/p>\n \nBut crops cannot<\/a> absorb all the nitrates in the soil, leaving the surplus to wash into groundwater, rivers, and eventually the sea, where it fuels the growth of green algae.\n<\/p>\n \nIn a 2017 investigation, French journalist In\u00e8s L\u00e9raud revealed<\/a> the \u201csilence factory\u201d,\u00a0 whereby agricultural lobbies and political leaders downplay the scandal to protect the lucrative pork sector.\n<\/p>\n \nLo\u00efg Chesnais-Girard, socialist president of the Brittany region, told Euractiv that the situation has since improved. \u201cEveryone has understood that there were excesses\u201d.\n<\/p>\n \nNitrate levels in Breton waterways have actually fallen<\/a> from 53 milligrams per litre in the 1990s to a steady 25 mg\/l since the 2010s. Largely because there are fewer pigs, which leads to a corresponding reduction in nitrate pollution.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cAnimal production peaked in the 2000s and has been declining on average ever since\u201d, Chesnais-Girard said. Brittany\u2019s pig population dropped<\/a> from 8.4 to 6.8 million between 2001 and 2022.\n<\/p>\n
\nBrittany dominates France\u2019s pig industry. The region is home to<\/a> nearly 60% of the nation\u2019s pigs and supports some 20,000 jobs.<\/p>\n
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