Key facts
- French Environment Minister Monique Barbut intends to resign.
- The resignation follows the approval of controversial farm legislation.
- The legislation permits temporary use of a banned pesticide for nut producers.
- It also doubles water storage allowances for farmers over the next decade.
- Barbut opposed these specific provisions, which were added late in the legislative process.
French Minister of Ecological Transition Monique Barbut intends to resign following the approval of controversial farming legislation, which has exposed divisions within President Emmanuel Macron's centrist supporters. Barbut informed Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and her office of her decision to step down after the bill's expected passage by the French Senate.
The legislation, initially aimed at addressing farmers' concerns about tightening margins and difficult production conditions, has become a political flashpoint due to two specific provisions. These include the temporary authorization of acetamiprid, a banned pesticide, for nut producers, and a doubling of water storage allowances for farmers over the next decade. Barbut has voiced strong opposition to these amendments, which were added late in the legislative process to secure passage in the conservative-majority Senate.
Barbut stated that the bill, as amended, significantly alters the policy governing water resource allocation in France. Conservative Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard, however, warned that failing to pass the bill would push farmers to despair. The debate highlights the ongoing tension between environmental protection and maintaining the economic viability of French agriculture.
The controversy also underscores rifts among Macron's centrists, particularly between Lecornu and Gabriel Attal, the head of the Renaissance party. While both supported exceptional circumstances for acetamiprid use, Attal expressed frustration over the late introduction of the provision. Acetamiprid, a neonicotinoid, is considered less toxic to bees than other banned neonicotinoids but has faced scrutiny for its effects on bee and human nervous systems. France independently banned acetamiprid in 2020, but farmers' unions have lobbied for its reintroduction, citing unfair market conditions. A previous attempt to reauthorize it was struck down by France's constitutional court.
Greenpeace France criticized lawmakers for disregarding scientific evidence on neonicotinoids' dangers, while the FNSEA farmers' union celebrated the vote as a significant milestone. The water supply provision is also contentious, particularly given France's increasing vulnerability to heat waves and droughts. Past protests against reservoir construction have involved clashes between demonstrators and police, with environmentalists accusing the agriculture industry of hoarding water.