Mysterious ‘poisoning’ of 140 cows as French farmer feuds with his father

French detectives investigating the mysterious deaths of 140 cows at a family farm have unearthed evidence of poisoning amid a bitter feud between the farmer and his retired father.

Pascal Chazelas, 37, took over the running of the farm in central France in 2009. Fresh out of agricultural college, he introduced modern practices, angering his “old-fashioned” father, Jean-Louis.  “Nothing was ever good enough for him,” Pascal Chazelas said. “He wouldn’t accept change.”

Post-mortem examinations of the cattle revealed that poisoning was the most likely cause of death, with the carcasses containing abnormally high quantities of nitrates and nitrites.

Mr Chazelas and his wife, Marie-Anaïs, 29, endured years of relentless harassment, in scenes reminiscent of the classic French film, Jean de Florette, in which two Provençal farmers conspire to drive away an enthusiastic newcomer, played by Gérard Depardieu.

One morning the Chazelas found the tyres of their tractor slashed. Another day, an unexplained hole appeared in a water pipe. An unidentified intruder opened the cowshed door one night, forcing them to round up their cattle at 3am.

The couple’s two cats also died suddenly and then Pascal Chazelas started feeling ill. Medical analyses revealed he had ingested a heavy metal which could cause death if consumed regularly.

Mr Chazelas then discovered that his father had taken out life insurance on him. The older man, who still owned the farm and was renting it to his son, stood to collect €150,000 (£134,500) if he died.

The cows’ deaths plunged the farm in Pageas, a community of fewer than 600 people, into the red. With losses accumulating, the couple were unable to pay their rent and were taunted by Mr Chazelas’s father, Jean-Louis, who blasted them as “incompetent”. No longer on speaking terms with them, he wrote in a letter: “You can’t succeed in farming if you only work two or three days a week.”

Police questioned the father but said there was no conclusive evidence against him. He acknowledged that the insurance policy was “a mistake” but said he was not involved in the cattle deaths. No charges have been brought.

Mr and Mrs Chazelas are appealing for crowd-funding to pay off their debts. They are hoping to raise €150,000.

“I’ll regret taking over the farm for the rest of my life,” Mr Chazelas said.