French farmers claim that solar panels and wind turbines in Brittany are releasing electricity into the ground which is slowly killing their livestock.
In the Brittany region several farmers have reported losses of hundreds of cows, and veterinarians have been unable to explain the cause.
But after tests on the region's farmland, some are claiming that electricity is travelling through the ground which is leading to severe weight loss in animals and ultimately death.
The mysterious cattle deaths has led one Côte d'amour farmer to file a lawsuit against a company, which has not been named.
Patrick Le Nechet told Europe1 his cows started dying when photovoltaic solar panels were installed on the land.
He conducted his own test on surrounding land and water and found electricity currents of over one volt.
The farmer said that watching all his animals die is 'unbearable'. “They lost weight, we lost 120 in five years. It can not be explained, even veterinarians do not know what to do,” Mr Le Nechet said.
“There is a lot of direct current coming into the earth. When we see all the animals die, it is untenable.”
Meanwhile, cattle farmer Stephane Le Brechec explained how he has also lost dozens of cows in a short period of time.
He has lost around 200 cows in five years, blaming antennas transformers and turbines in the area.
According to the Sanitary Defence Group, farmers are not always aware of electrical disturbances.
Thibaut Bouchut, Building Advisor at the Group, explained how humans are capable of withstanding three times as much electricity as cattle.
He said: “The human body has an electrical resistance of 1,500 Ohms, while the cows, only 500 Ohms, not to mention that they are not separated from the ground by rubber soles.
“Breeders are not always aware of electrical disturbances, and sometime the seemingly-unexplained problems they face discourage them, even if they are competent. Farms close down because of that.”
