Swiss army ‘steals’ French water to help cows

The Swiss army has officially apologized to France after taking water from a lake in the French Jura without permission.

France 24 reported that officials in the Vaud region, which lies on the border with France in western Switzerland, sent a letter of apology and offered reimbursement to the government in Les Rousses, a French commune in the Jura Mountains, in the region of Franche-Comté.

However, French officials said the operation at the Lac des Rousses in the Jura mountains was not authorised. The water was then delivered to thirsty cattle in the Swiss Alps.

There were reportedly up to 15 landings over a time frame of several hours to scoop up the water for the cows’ troughs.

“As soon as they contacted us, we realized there was a communication problem and we immediately stopped,” Denis Froidevaux, a Swiss military official, told the Swiss newspaper Le Matin, whose headline Monday read “No, Switzerland is not stealing water from France to save its cows”.

The Swiss army has been pumping water for livestock from its own Neuchatel and Joux lakes since last week, as indicated by a statement from the Swiss Department of Defense. “That’s not normal”, Bernard Mamet, the mayor of Les Rousses, told the Swiss 20 Minutes newspaper, adding that flying over French territory without permission could be seen as “illegal.”

Swiss authorities have since apologised and explained that the incident was simply a misunderstanding.

But after a meeting between the Swiss and French authorities, it appears the Swiss army got its wires crossed.

He said the operation had been carried out in a bid to save time, because the French lake was nearer the cows in need, adding: “We saved 15 minutes per flight”.

Around 20,000 cows in Switzerland, which relies on milk to produce its branded Tete de Moine and other cheeses, are believed to be in need of drinking water.