French Environment Minister Resigns Over Pesticide Reintroduction
The minister’s resignation follows parliament’s final adoption of an agriculture bill permitting the conditional use of banned insecticides, a move critics argue undermines public health safeguards.
French Environment Minister Monique Barbut has announced her intention to resign, submitting her letter to President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday. The decision comes in the wake of the French parliament’s final adoption of a controversial agriculture bill that permits the reintroduction of two pesticides previously banned for their detrimental effects on bee populations.
Barbut, who previously served as the executive secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and headed WWF France, stated that the government had prevented any debate on removing the measure. In a statement posted on LinkedIn, she noted that contrary to commitments made to her, the legislative process blocked discussion on the provision, describing the reversal as "one environmental setback too many."
The legislation grants France’s national health and safety agency, Anses, the authority to conditionally authorise the use of acetamiprid and flupyradifurone. These substances were banned in France in 2018 and 2019 respectively, following earlier restrictions based on the precautionary principle. Proponents of the bill argue that the insecticides are necessary for French sugar beet, apple, and hazelnut farmers to compete with their European counterparts, noting that the chemicals remain permitted within the broader European Union framework.
Barbut challenged the scientific basis for the policy shift, pointing out that ten years after the initial ban on acetamiprid, studies continue to raise doubts about the chemicals' effects on human health and the environment. She remarked, "Politics is not my world, and if this is what politics is about, it definitely never will be," signalling a definitive break from her political role.
The parliamentary vote follows a significant legal challenge last year, when the Constitutional Council struck down a previous attempt to reintroduce acetamiprid. The court cited risks to human health after a petition garnering over two million signatures highlighted public concern. The current bill allows for conditional use, a distinction that opponents argue fails to address the fundamental safety concerns that led to the original prohibitions.
