Key facts
- France's Minister for the Ecological Transition, Monique Barbut, resigned.
- The resignation followed lawmakers' approval of a bill to reintroduce pesticides acetamiprid and flupyradifurone.
- Critics argue these pesticides harm bees and pose risks to human health, including potential effects on children's brains.
- Proponents claim French farmers need the insecticides for competitiveness.
- The pesticides were previously banned in France in 2018 and 2019.
France's Minister for the Ecological Transition, Monique Barbut, has resigned following lawmakers' approval of a bill that would permit the reintroduction of two pesticides, acetamiprid and flupyradifurone. Barbut stated that the government's decision to allow these bee-harming substances back into use, contrary to previous commitments, was "one environmental setback too many."
The controversial agriculture bill grants France's health and safety agency, Anses, the authority to conditionally authorize the use of acetamiprid and flupyradifurone. While these pesticides are permitted within the European Union, individual member states can impose restrictions. Supporters of the bill argue that French sugar beet, apple, and hazelnut farmers require these insecticides, which were banned in France in 2018 and 2019 respectively, to remain competitive with their European counterparts.
Research has indicated that acetamiprid can negatively impact honeybees' foraging capacity and memory. A 2024 study suggested that flupyradifurone could be lethal to certain bee populations. Barbut noted that France's 2016 ban on acetamiprid was based on the precautionary principle and scientific evidence, and that subsequent studies continue to raise concerns about its effects on human health and the environment. Pesticide Action Network Europe has also campaigned for a ban on acetamiprid, citing evidence of its endocrine-disrupting properties, potential links to breast cancer, infertility, and risks to unborn children due to its ability to cross the placental and brain barriers. They reported its detection in umbilical cords, breast milk, and children's cerebrospinal fluid.
Flupyradifurone was introduced as an alternative to other neonicotinoids, but Pesticide Action Network Europe considers it to be essentially another neonicotinoid with similar risks. The bill's passage followed a decision by the Constitutional Council, France's highest court, which had previously struck down a similar provision to reintroduce acetamiprid due to human health risks, after a petition signed by over two million people.
While most left-wing lawmakers opposed the reintroduction, support from the far-right and centrist parties led to the bill's approval in the National Assembly. The left has indicated it will appeal to the Constitutional Council if the Senate approves the measure. Green MP Daniel Salmon criticized the move as a "reckless and destructive headlong rush" that disregards scientific evidence. Centrist senator Franck Ménonville defended the bill as a necessary response to perceived hypocrisy regarding import standards. Greenpeace condemned the government for disregarding science, health, and public will, while Henri Clement of the French Beekeeping Union described the measure as "absolutely catastrophic."
Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard defended the bill, stating it was essential to address farmer discontent and that any pesticide use would be conditionally approved by health authorities only in emergency situations with no alternatives and no impact on human health or the environment.