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Livestock farming odour: legal framework and remedies for residents

Odours linked to livestock farming — manure, slurry, land spreading — are a frequent source of tension between farming operations and neighbouring residents. French law regulates these nuisances while seeking a balance between agricultural activity and residents' protection.

Where do these odours come from?
  • stored or spread animal waste (slurry, manure)
  • livestock buildings, especially during hot weather
  • land-spreading operations on plots close to homes
What the regulation says
  • Farms exceeding certain livestock-count thresholds (cattle, pigs, poultry) fall under the ICPE regime.
  • Ministerial orders of 27 December 2013 set the technical rules applicable to cattle, pig, and poultry farms.
  • Two remedies exist: the administrative route (reporting to the regional authority, prefectural order) and the civil route, based on abnormal neighbourhood nuisance — case law recognises that an administratively compliant farm can still cause a compensable nuisance.
Full detail →
What can you do?
  1. 1Report the odour episode precisely (date, time, perceived intensity)
  2. 2Check the report map for your area
  3. 3Build a history useful for an amicable or legal approach
  4. 4Find out about possible next steps
A letter template to contact the administration

As a registered member, access a report-to-administration form with a letter template pre-filled from your report history.

Access the letter template

Regularly bothered by odour from a livestock farm?

Report this odour