Director Ridley Scott loses battle against chicken farmers in France
Director Ridley Scott loses battle against chicken farmers in FranceFilmmaker Sir Ridley Scott has lost a court battle to stop farmers next to his Provence home rearing poultry, which he claims causes pollution including "bad odours".
The British director of films including Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator bought a home in the Luberon 15 years ago.
In 2005, he shot a film in the area, A Good Year. But the idyllic, picture-postcard French way of life began to go awry five years ago when a couple bought a neighbouring plot in Oppede and set up an organic poultry farm.
Horrified by the cackling chickens and allegedly unseemly smell that wafted into his property, Scott (72) took his neighbours to court, complaining that their chickens caused "aural and visual pollution and bad odours".
Scott was ordered to pay u20ac4000 (Rs 2.7 lakh) in legal costs. It was his sixth attempt in five years to thwart his neighbours' activities.
