He was one of the most high-profile (and atypical) candidates on the famous M6 show, “Love is in the Meadow”, broadcast in 2022. During that season, the Allier farmer, Nicolas Humbert, 63, met the man of his life, Alain, with whom he is still in a relationship. But behind the glitz of reality TV, a completely different affair was brewing, this one less brilliant.
The farmer from the Souvigny region has just been sentenced by the criminal court of Moulins (Allier) on July 3, 2024, to 10 months in prison, as reported by the newspaper La Montagne. The justice found him guilty of 28 charges, accusing him, among other things, of undeclared work, animal abuse and even deception on the goods.
Alain is notably prohibited from selling “his” cheeses on local markets, as he had been doing for a long time. According to the court, these were not really his own production. The products could sometimes even be sold with an expiry date of more than three weeks.
A hundred animals insufficiently fed and “poorly housed”
Also mentioned are acts of mistreatment towards his animals – about a hundred cows, chickens and sheep – insufficiently fed and “poorly housed”. He is also accused of having hired his son who works with him on the farm without declaring it, paying him in cash.
“My client has been the subject of harassment. The treatment he has received from the courts is particularly harsh,” protests his lawyer, Gilles-Jean Portejoie. The farmer will, however, be able to keep his livestock, valued at 100,000 euros. His lawyer tells us: “He has not yet appealed the decision but he reserves the right to do so.”