France approves bee-harming pesticides, minister tries to quit
France's parliament has approved the conditional return of two banned pesticides to appease protesting farmers, prompting the environment minister to attempt to resign over a policy that pits agricultural competitiveness against environmental and health standards.
The French parliament has approved an agriculture bill allowing the conditional return of two bee-harming pesticides, prompting Environment Minister Monique Barbut to submit her resignation. President Emmanuel Macron declined to accept it, with her office stating she would stay due to the "urgency to address the consequences of climate change."
The legislation grants France's health and safety agency, Anses, the power to temporarily authorise acetamiprid and flupyradifurone under strict conditions. Both chemicals were banned in France in 2018 and 2019 respectively, though they currently remain permitted under broader European Union regulations.
The parliamentary move underscores a deepening rift in European agriculture between strict national environmental rules and single-market competition. Sugar beet, apple and hazelnut growers argue they are at a competitive disadvantage because rival producers within the bloc can still use these insecticides.
Centrist senator Franck Ménonville defended the bill as a necessary correction to "the hypocrisy of producing less in France in order to import ever more products that do not comply with our standards." Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard has positioned the measure as a direct response to widespread farmer protests this winter.
The conditional authorisations require Anses to verify there is "no impact on human health or on the environment, there is an emergency situation" and "there is no alternative." However, the scientific consensus regarding the chemicals remains contested.
Barbut argued the government "prevented any debate on the removal of this measure," calling it "one environmental setback too many." Research indicates acetamiprid impairs honeybee foraging and memory, while a 2024 study suggested flupyradifurone can be lethal to some bee species.
Pesticide Action Network Europe has raised human health alarms, stating that neonicotinoids like acetamiprid "can favour breast cancer" and "may lead to infertility." The group added that the chemical crosses the placental barrier, putting unborn children at risk. The organisation also dismissed flupyradifurone, presented by producer Bayer as a safer alternative, as "new wine in an old bottle."
The political battle is not yet over. The Constitutional Council struck down a similar attempt to reintroduce acetamiprid last year following a petition by more than two million people. Green MP Daniel Salmon condemned the current bill as "a reckless and destructive headlong rush, with complacent measures that deny the scientific evidence." The left is expected to refer the matter to the Constitutional Council again if the Senate approves the text.
