Questembert (56): environmentalists launch a petition, supported by Aymeric Caron, against the use of draft horses for school transport and waste collection
In Questembert, a small town of 8,000 inhabitants in Morbihan, a controversy is looming over the draft horses purchased by the municipality. The animals have replaced motor vehicles and now provide school transportation and waste collection. However, this seemingly ecological initiative is not to everyone's taste. The Ecological Revolution for the Living (REV) collective launched a petition on April 13th, which has already collected 24,000 signatures, supported by party founder Aymeric Caron, to "stop the use of horses." Serge Buchet denounces this as a source of suffering for the animal used as "a tool in the service of humans."
Sign the petition of Serge Buchet, REV municipal councillor responsible for animal welfare, to stop the use of horses in Questembert (Morbihan)! Winter and summer, the municipality uses the "territorial" horse to transport garbage, move children or... pic.twitter.com/YKGXOnejGg
— REV | Ecological Revolution for the Living (@REVPourLeVivant) April 13, 2025
The introduction of these "territorial horses" was not a matter of chance. According to information from François Camé, director of the Etik-Presse agency, the animals' routes are carefully planned to avoid overtiring them, and to ensure they have a stable and pasture nearby. Municipal employees, trained to care for and drive the horses, also benefit from the contact with the mammals.
The initiative also has ecological and economic advantages: it is enough to change the cart depending on the task to be performed, school collection or waste collection, instead of operating two vehicles. Everything has been thought out, down to the droppings which are collected by a basket under the animal's tail, describes François Camé.
Fdesouche
