PARIS: From crowing roosters to the whiff of barnyard animals, the “sensory heritage” of France’s countryside will now be protected by law from attempts to stifle the everyday aspects of rural life from newcomers looking for peace and quiet.

French senators gave final approval on Thursday to a law proposed in the wake of several high-profile conflicts by village residents and vacationers, or recent arrivals derided as “neo-rurals”.

A rowdy rooster named Maurice made headlines in 2019 after a court in western France rejected a bid to have him silenced by neighbours who had purchased a holiday home nearby.

“Living in the countryside implies accepting some nuisances,” Joel Giraud, the minister in charge of rural life, told lawmakers.

Cow bells, grasshopper chirps and noisy early-morning tractors are also now considered part of France’s natural heritage that will be codified in its environmental legislation.

“It sends a strong message,” said Pierre-Antoine Levi, the senator who acted as rapporteur for the bill.

“It can act as a useful tool for local officials as they carry out their educational and mediation duties,” he said.

The law is emblematic of growing tensions in the countryside between long-time residents and outsiders whose bucolic expectations often clash with everyday realities.

Corinne Fesseau and her rooster Maurice became the image of the fight when she was brought to court by pensioners next door over the animal’s shrill wake-up calls.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2021