The massive multiplication of potentially deadly seaweed piling up on the coastline of Brittany, north-west France, is the result of chemical pollution of the sea from intensive farming, according to the conclusions of a French government study which calls for sweeping changes in agricultural practices. The toxic algae, which for decades has been invading beaches in the north of Brittany, is blamed for the deaths of dozens of animals (photo) and for plunging several people into near-fatal comas after their poisoning by the lethal gas hydrogen sulphide. The recommendations, if enacted, would be little short of an agricultural and cultural revolution in a region that occupies just 9% of French territory but which is home to 50% of the country’s pig and poultry production. Michel de Pracontal reports.
