The no-nonsense farmer who took matters into his own hands and sprayed travellers with putrid-smelling slurry after they squatted on his land says he was driven to breaking point – after police told him there was nothing they could do.
Pierre Richard, a fearless dairy farmer in northern France, became an accidental online celebrity after he covered the gipsies who had overrun his family property with foul-smelling liquid manure.
The incredible footage, now seen by millions, reveals he and another farmer spraying fertiliser towards the disfavored intruders, who, in turn, desperately give chase.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Mr Richard, 37, told how he felt compelled to act after police waved away his desperate pleas for help.
Speaking at his farm near the village of Le Syndicat in the Vosges region of France, the fifth-generation farmer said: ‘I’d simply had enough.
‘They want us to simply shut our mouths and let them squat on our land. But this year I refused.
‘Every year, hundreds of gypsies come into our valley and take over our land. This year I decided I had to do something.’
Footage of Mr Richard’s fertiliser-led fightback on July 8 was uploaded to social media with the caption: ‘How to get rid of squatters on your property … farmer style’.
The viral video showed how scores of white caravans and cars had claimed part of his six-hectare field, including a red Ferrari.
Angry travellers gave chase, with one man clinging to the side of a tractor cab, shaking his fist as the rancid slurry sprayed around him.
Mr Richard, who took over the farm from his father nine years ago, claimed the travellers in 250 caravans – said to be on their way to a gypsy religious festival – had ignored an empty traveller site nearby to instead illegally occupy his farm.
He said: ‘They preferred to stay here on my land. It’s a beautiful place, in the mountains, next to a river, and with fresh green grass.
‘They arrived at about 8 pm on a Sunday night. When I heard they were there, I went down there, but it was too late.
‘They had broken through the barriers and set up camp, hundreds of them.
‘The following day, I went to the police, but they said there was nothing they could do.
‘So, on the Tuesday, we went out with the tractors and sprayed the rest of the prairie with slurry to make sure no more of them would come.
‘As you can see from the footage, we stayed a minimum of 10 metres from the caravans.
‘It was the gypsies who chased us and attacked us in our cabs. It was really dangerous what they did.
‘Fortunately, our tractors and strong and kept them out. But they broke one of my wing mirrors.’
Despite new laws in France which demand all communities with a population above 5,000 provide a traveller site, the squatters set up home on Mr Richard’s field, which was used to grow hay for his 50 dairy cows.
Instead of making use of basic council facilities at an authorised site nearby, the squatters enjoyed uninterrupted vistas over the picturesque Vosges mountain range.
Mr Richard, whose farm was previously targeted by travellers in 2023, denied being a ‘hero’.
He said: ‘I was just protecting my land from an even bigger occupation. Every year, there are more and more of them. This year, one even came with a Ferrari.
‘If we had not sprayed the field, I don’t know how many more caravans would have turned up.
‘Not only do they ruin the grass, they ruin the land and the river.
‘Their cars and caravans flatten the earth and make it harder for the grass to grow.
‘And they go to the toilet everywhere, everywhere, apart from in their caravans. It’s disgusting. The river is an important fresh-water resource, but they leave it polluted with human waste.
‘They open a water hydrant and leave it running day and night – using hundreds of litres of water, even if there is a drought.
‘My family have been farming this land for five generations and we are not going to stop.’
According to reports, the group of travellers was heading north to the yearly gipsy religious celebration in Grostenquin.
The week-long ‘Life and Light’ religious gathering entices 30,000 Roma travellers from across France.
However, locals reject the celebration, which is comparable to Britain’s Appleby Horse Fair, citing the disturbance, pollution, and annoyance it creates.
Dairy farmer Dominic Frenot, 52, told Mail Online: ‘Everyone in this area is sick to death of the gypsies coming en masse and taking over our land.
‘I have real admiration for Pierre for standing up to them. He was very courageous.
‘They took over one of my prairies a couple of years ago and caused a lot of damage.
‘I made a formal complaint, and it went to court months later. The gypsies were fined 1,000 euros. But I was ordered to instruct a bailiff myself to retrieve the money. I never saw a penny.’
Another farmer, Xavier Duc, 46, added: ‘The gypsies are a real nuisance. They took over one of my prairies and completely ruined it.
‘Not only do they destroy the grass that is growing, they also ruin the land with their heavy vehicles so that it takes years for the grass to grow properly again.
‘I’d say once they take over a prairie, it causes us 1000 euros in damages per hectare.
‘I’m right behind Pierre. I’m pleased someone has had the guts to stand up to them for once.’
Mayor Pascal Claude of Syndicat also conveyed his frustration.
He said: ‘They had no right to set up camp there, but they forced the barrier at the entrance of the land. The farmers and I are totally against this.
‘Not only did they set up camp on a protected natural land, it is also a protected water source.’
The travellers who invaded Mr Richard’s farm – named in French local media as the Parti d’Alsace – claimed that the nearby traveller site did not have adequate capacity for their 250-caravan convoy.
Similar incidents of tourists erecting illegal camps on soccer fields and farmland around France this summer have been reported.
Mr Richard said he feared ‘reprisals’ from the travellers after his slurry stunt.
‘You never know when they will come back. You don’t know what they might do. We have no idea who they are or what they have done in the past.’
He added: ‘I’ve got nothing against travellers. We just want this to stop. So that we can do our jobs and feed the people.
‘Everyone has the right to live with dignity, but not at other people’s expense.’
After a court in nearby Epinal issued an eviction notice, the tourists eventually vacated the location in the middle of July.
Their lawyer told the court that the group had asked the local authorities to provide a site for them this summer, but their demand had been ignored.
Maitre Laure Iognat-Prat said: ‘The trip was planned; they had contacted the Vosges [department authorities] at the beginning of the year to reserve a site. [But] They never received a response.’
Bravo to this man – I wish we had more backbone in the UK, and farmers in the UK are becoming a dying breed.
In the UK, this guy would have been imprisoned and required to compensate his squatters for the psychological harm his acts caused them, and why is that? Because we have freeloaders in our society who are against hard-working citizens.
While the sheep in the UK merely tut in the streets and let it happen, the French are unforgiving of governments and authorities, which is why you have to adore them.
It is quickly approaching that the people of the United Kingdom will take the appropriate action, and Starmer is foolish and unable to comprehend the big picture, but it’s also extremely sad when hard-working people have to take the law into their own hands – the police force is a farce.
It is up to the public to take action if the police fail to stop these criminals. This unlawful conduct must no longer be given preferential treatment by governments and law enforcement, and if Starmer doesn’t take notice, he will see a revolution if they don’t start showing our farming community some consideration, instead of attempting to milk them (pardon the pun) at every opportunity.
Actions, meet consequences!
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 