# A Belgian farmer moved the border between France and Belgium **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 4, 2021, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391 "2021-05-04T19:58:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391/1 "2021-05-04T19:58:10Z")
I hope there won’t be a war over the situation. > **[Belgian farmer accidentally moves French border](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56978344)** > > The farmer moved a two-century-old border stone into French territory as it was blocking his tractor. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391/2 "2021-05-04T20:13:08Z")
I like this quote > Local Belgian authorities plan to contact the farmer to ask him to return the stone to its original location. If that does not happen the case could end up at the Belgian foreign ministry, which would have to summon a Franco-Belgian border commission, dormant since 1930. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391/3 "2021-05-04T20:42:17Z")
I’m curious if the farmer pays Belgium taxes on the crops he grows on the Belgium side and French taxes on the crops he grows on the French side. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391/4 "2021-05-04T21:00:48Z")
Fascinating. However, the stone likely doesn’t actually make the boundary. I mean if he put it in his truck and drove to the Spanish border, would all of France now be Belgium? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391/5 "2021-05-04T21:04:06Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I mean if he put it in his truck and drove to the Spanish border, would all of France now be Belgium? There’s one way to find out. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391/6 "2021-05-04T21:06:05Z")
That’s how the Seven Years War started… ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391/7 "2021-05-04T21:15:10Z")
Proverbs 22:28 ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391/8 "2021-05-04T21:54:18Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Fascinating. However, the stone likely doesn’t actually make the boundary. I mean if he put it in his truck and drove to the Spanish border, would all of France now be Belgium? Survey marks are a special category of thing that both define boundaries and are defined by boundaries. Moving one creates a Great Disturbance in the Force. ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391/9 "2021-05-04T23:40:44Z")
Surveying is one of those interesting fields that hasn’t changed a whole lot in a long time, and yet some improvements have been made. It might be opening up a very big can of worms for somebody official to ask, “How do we know that the stone was placed accurately in the first place?” ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391/10 "2021-05-05T04:47:32Z")
Let’s try this on the Korean Peninsula and see how it all works out. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391/11 "2021-05-05T05:38:58Z")
If war breaks out which side will we be on? ---
**Author:** ![cytop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f17d59/32.png) [@cytop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cytop)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391/12 "2021-05-05T06:41:35Z")
As NATO moved its HQ from Paris to Brussels in 1966 (or maybe 1967 - France withdrew from the military side of things), I guess it’ll be the Belgians … 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391/13 "2021-05-05T07:47:26Z")
Waterloo is not far away, there is a tradition I see starting there. Has anyone contacted the Prussians yet? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391/14 "2021-05-05T09:18:51Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > If war breaks out which side will we be on? Depends where the stone is. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391/15 "2021-05-05T15:41:41Z")
“One of the boundary stones, however – laid down in 1819, shortly before the Treaty of Kortrijk sealed the deal – was recently spotted as being out of place by 2.29 meters (7.5 feet).” Is Boundary Stone Spotter a paid position, or do they rely on volunteers? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391/16 "2021-05-05T15:44:52Z")
He created _more_ Belgium. The Universe hates us for that. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391/17 "2021-05-05T15:58:16Z")
It was a charitable act. His neighbor on the French side said that he couldn’t stand another hot French summer. So … ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391/18 "2021-05-05T16:26:18Z")
Actually the French were never really completely out. The Ailleret-Lemnitzer agreements and the Valentin-Feber agreements set up in the 1960s and 1970s defined French participation under NATO operational command in case of war. And since 2009, France is back to being a full-fledged member of NATO anyway. > [@Bootb](#): > > Surveying is one of those interesting fields that hasn’t changed a whole lot in a long time, and yet some improvements have been made. It might be opening up a very big can of worms for somebody official to ask, “How do we know that the stone was placed accurately in the first place?” Yeah, although that stone has represented the border between the two countries for 200 years or so, it may or may not have actually been in the right place all along- for all anyone knows, someone might have moved it 175 years ago, or 50 years ago, or whatever. I imagine it’ll be interesting to try and see what the border should have been, based on information contained in a 200 year old treaty; I half doubt the actual stones really have any legal role- there’s probably some better definition in the treaty itself, or somewhere in other treaties or legislation. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391/19 "2021-05-05T16:28:43Z")
A friend used to find and photograph survey monuments and markers on family vacations. It can be a rewarding hobby locating these pieces of history. Here’s an example. The pile of stone has a LSAW plaque with the stones position. . > **[USCGS Boundary Monument Near OFFSET, 1873, Idaho-Washington - U.S. Historic...](https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMQBY_USCGS_Boundary_Monument_Near_OFFSET_1873_Idaho_Washington)** > > Waymarking.com is a way to mark unique locations on the planet and give them a voice. While GPS technology allows us to pinpoint any location on the planet, mark the location, and share it with others, Waymarking is the toolset for categorizing and... ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391/20 "2021-05-05T16:36:30Z")
So, they consider this decaying rock in the middle of a farm field to be that vital? If someone “accidentally” ran over it with a large piece of farm machinery and pulverized it into unrecognizable dust, would they even bother to replace it? Unless someone from Belgium is taking a shortcut to France across the farm fields, it serves no purpose that I can see. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-belgian-farmer-moved-the-border-between-france-and-belgium/941391.md?page=2)