Rooster gets cocky with law

Oursbelille – A rooster named “Pitikok” has ruffled feathers in southern France – and is poised to test the limits of the law.

A neighbour fed up with the bird’s crowing has taken the owner to court.

But she could be spared a penalty under new legislation protecting the “sensory heritage” of the countryside, from church bells to the smell of farmyard animals.

The rooster’s owner in the village of Oursbelille, 150km southwest of Toulouse, has faced repeated complaints and is set to appear in court next month.

Attempts to find a compromise failed, she said, “because the only solution Monsieur proposed was that we get rid of our animal.”

The case recalls a series of recent disputes pitting villagers with small farms against other residents, often newcomers in search of rural tranquillity.