The reason why French farmers sprayed manure to remove a group of travellers who had set up their camps on private land has been revealed.
As previously reported, roughly 400 caravans occupied fields in the French towns of Chavelot and Syndicat - an occupation that left local farmers furious, claiming their land had been taken without permission while authorities stood by.
When polite requests to leave were ignored, tensions boiled over, and this culminated in a dramatic, smelly stand-off.
Farmers were armed with tractors and tanks with a potent mix of animal waste, sludge, and water, and began spraying the fields, caravans, and surrounding area.
The footage, now widely shared online, shows members of the travelling group frantically chasing tractors, attempting to climb into the cabs to stop the foul onslaught. At one point, they formed a human barrier in front of their caravans in a bid to block the spray.
Photographer Loic Madre, who was in Syndicat during the confrontation, said negotiations had broken down.
“It was difficult to negotiate with the travellers; they refused to listen. The farmers received no support from the local authorities or the police. So they handled it on their own, as you can see in the images,” he told local media, cited by Metro.
The farmers contended that this wasn’t just about trespassing; it was about protecting vital land.
The area falls within a Natura 2000 nature reserve and contains drinking water catchment zones. They also cited safety concerns after two electricity workers were injured while repairing a damaged transformer, and noise complaints from residents became frequent.
One farmer claimed to have received death threats, while a traveller named Olivier alleged that his group had offered to manage water and electricity themselves but were turned down.
He added that they have rights, but have no access to officially designated land.
Local officials considered cancelling Bastille Day celebrations due to the disruption. Eventually, a landowner took legal action, and the travellers were ordered to leave, and were also fined €1,500 in legal costs.
The tactic, while controversial, proved effective. Within days, the field was cleared, though locals say it was left badly damaged.
Many users shared their mixed reactions to the unconventional eviction. “The way the squatters try to fight them off as if it’s their land and not the farmers’! The level of entitlement is astounding,” one user wrote.
Others applauded the farmers' actions as “the best thing I’ve seen all day.” But some called for empathy, questioning whether the land was even in use before the encampment.