France Approves Return of ‘Bee-Harming’ Pesticides

France’s parliament has approved a controversial bill that would allow the return of two pesticides previously banned in the country, prompting Environment Minister Monique Barbut to announce plans to resign.

Barbut told her aides that she had “no other option” than to step down, saying she would submit her resignation to President Emmanuel Macron later on Tuesday.

The legislation, backed by the right-leaning Senate in a 214-111 vote, seeks to reintroduce the use of acetamiprid and flupyradifurone, insecticides that have been prohibited in France since 2018 and 2019 respectively.

Supporters of the bill argue that French farmers growing sugar beet, apples and hazelnuts need access to the chemicals to remain competitive with producers in other European Union countries, where the pesticides are still permitted.

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Opponents, however, have raised concerns over the potential impact of the insecticides on bee populations and human health.

The National Assembly had earlier approved the legislation before it moved to the Senate for final consideration.

Celebrating the passage of the bill, Senator Laurent Duplomb, who backed the measure, said: “Let us be proud of the work accomplished.”

The vote came after the Constitutional Council, the country’s highest court, last year struck down a provision in another bill trying to reintroduce acetamiprid, saying it posed risks to human health, after more than two million people signed a petition against it.

That bill was championed by Duplomb.

“The government and its allies are trampling on science, health, the environment, and the will of the people,” Greenpeace said after the National Assembly passed the bill.

Henri Clement, of the French Beekeeping Union, told regional media outlet Ici Gard Lozere that the measure was “absolutely catastrophic”.

Research has found that acetamiprid can poison honeybees, affecting their foraging capacity and memory, while a 2024 study suggested flupyradifurone could be lethal to some bees.

Most leftists in the lower house this week voted against the reintroduction of the two pesticides, but backing from the far right and many centrists meant it passed.

The left has said it would appeal to the Constitutional Council if the Senate approved the measure.

Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard has defended the bill as necessary to address discontent among farmers after protests this winter.

She has stressed health authorities would only approve use of the pesticides in certain areas for limited periods “on the condition there is no impact on human health or on the environment, there is an emergency situation” and “there is no alternative”.

AFP