She has been criticizing the state’s inaction for years, urging it to do more to fight against the scourge of green algae. Tired of not being heard, the association Eau et Rivières de Bretagne (ERB) filed a double appeal against the State for “inaction in the face of water pollution by nitrates” before the administrative court of Rennes. Started on October 1, this legal action aims to “touch the portfolio of the State”, according to the director of the association, Arnaud Clugery. The latter underlines “the repeated shortcomings in the commitment to the fight against nitrogen fertilization”. A decision which comes a few days before the presentation of the new fight plan, Friday, before the regional council of Brittany.
For more than fifty years, the coast of Brittany has been hit every summer by the stranding of tens of tons of green algae. As they rot, these Ulva give off hydrogen sulphide, a toxic gas which has already killed animals and probably humans, even if formal proof has never been provided. Every year, millions of euros are spent to collect them. Through this appeal, the Water and Rivers association requests “the taking of all useful measures” to limit nitrate pollution and the “reparation of ecological and moral damage”. The association estimates the cost of the damage at 3.2 million euros.
This is not the first time that the state has been criticized for its (in)action in this matter. In 2021, the Court of Auditors had already pointed out the insufficiency of the measures. The same year, the Administrative Court of Rennes canceled the 6th Regional Action Plan for the fight against green algae. Justice insisted on the need to take “any useful additional measure to control nitrogen fertilization” in agriculture.