Cowbell complaint thrown out in Alps
A group of 20 holiday home owners who complained about cowbells in an Alpine village had their plea rejected by the mairie after more than 110,000 signed a counter-petition.
The group, mostly British, wrote to Le Biot mayor Henri-Victor Tournier saying they understood they 鈥渓ived in the country where there was a long tradition of cows, sheep and goats鈥� but the constant noise of the bells on the pastures day and night was 鈥渦nbearable鈥�.
However, it sparked a protest by about 400 cowbell-clanging people near the visitors鈥� houses, calling to save Haute-Savoie heritage and saying the hills would be a 鈥渘o mans land鈥� of thorns and fern without cows.
A petition online by local farmers was signed by 113,000 people from as far as Australia.
Mr Tournier said the village practised montagne douce as it cost up to 鈧�8,000 a year to clear brush before they used cows.
He told Connexion: 鈥淲e have more than 50 British and other nationalities who live here 鈥� 25% of the 94 kids at school are anglais 鈥� and for a little thing about bells these visitors are hurting good relations between the British and French.
鈥淲e like the British but when I go to live in a foreign country I do not start petitions against the customs!
鈥淲e鈥檙e not mean-minded, so we are moving the water trough up the hill to stop the cows running down to it. We鈥檝e made a move now it is up to them.鈥�
