France’s top constitutional authority has ruled against the reintroduction of a pesticide that is harmful to ecosystems, saying it is unconstitutional.
The decision on Thursday night deals a blow to the government. It comes after weeks of opposition from the left, environmentalists and doctors, and a record-breaking 2m signatures on a petition against a bill that would have allowed a pesticide banned in France in 2020 to come back into use.
The “Duplomb law” – named after the conservative lawmaker Laurent Duplomb who proposed it – had been presented in parliament as a bid to free up French farmers, who have repeatedly expressed frustration over bureaucratic constraints on the agricultural sector, unfair foreign competition, and what they called stringent regulations, including on pesticides.
But in a rebuke of the government on Thursday night, the constitutional council found that the law’s provision to reintroduce acetamiprid – a chemical known to be toxic to pollinators such as bees – did not abide by France’s environmental charter, which guarantees the “right to live in a balanced and healthy environment”. The constitutional authority also raised questions over provisions for water reservoirs in the bill.
The president, Emmanuel Macron, had “taken good note of the decision”, his office said on Thursday night, and was expected to swiftly validate the bill without these contested sections.
The Green leader, Marine Tondelier, said she was “very relieved” by the verdict. The Socialist party said the verdict was a rebuke to the “irresponsibility of the prime minister, François Bayrou, and his government”.
The insecticide in question was particularly sought after by beet and hazelnut growers, who said they had no alternative against pests and faced unfair competition. Some growers also argued that acetamiprid, allowed in other EU countries, was vital to fight virus yellows, which cut yields by 30% in 2020 and slashed sugar output.
The petition on the website of France’s lower-house National Assembly called the measure a “frontal attack on public health”. Beekeepers have described the chemical as “a bee killer”, and its effects on humans are also a source of concern, though its risk remains unclear in the absence of large-scale studies.
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The student-led petition against the bill garnered more than 2m signatures after lawmakers adopted its reintroduction on 8 July, when it was rushed through a deeply divided lower house of parliament without a proper debate.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
