The citizen petition launched on July 10 to request the repeal of the Duplumb law is one of the flagship soap operas of the French summer. However, the subject is of a European dimension and would require a debate beyond our borders. At the heart of the problem: the reintroduction of a controversial pesticide, prohibited in France since 2018 but authorized in Europe until 2033.
Between the French and their agriculture, it is more often cow love that love is in the meadow. The latest topic of tension has been on the table for months, but he reached his highest point on July 8. On that day, the National Assembly voted massively the Duplo law, supposed to “lift the constraints in the exercise of the profession of farmer”. Prepared following yet another crisis raised by the sector in the fall of 2023, this law is however today in the crosshairs of environmental parties and on the left and on the one hand more and more of public opinion.
This is one of the provisions of the text, providing for reintroduction – on derogation and in a completely supervised way – of a pesticide prohibited in France since 2018, which has made the most waves: acetamipride. The latter belongs to the family of neonicotinoids, renowned for their effectiveness in the elimination of pest insects such as aphids. The reverse is the potential impacts on bee populations and, more broadly, throughout the lifetime chain.
A petition that is still growing
On July 10, a 23 -year -old student launched a citizen petition on the site of the National Assembly. She strongly condemns the text voted two days earlier and asked for her repeal. “The DUPLOM law is a scientific, ethical, environmental and health aberration. It represents a frontal attack on public health, biodiversity, coherence of climate policies, food security and common sense, “it is written in the text. Words carry; The petition spreads like a trail of powder: it collects 500,000 signatures in a few days, a million in a week. On July 28, the two million threshold was exceeded. It’s huge, new, and obviously not over.
There is no longer a day without the petition receiving the support of voice that counts. No later than Tuesday, the National Council of the Order of Doctors is in turn positioned against reintroduction, even at low doses, acetamipride in the crops of sugar beets, small fruit trees and hazelnuts (the agricultural sectors most consumers of the chemical substance). In a press release, the Council affirms that “on the medical level, doubt is not reasonable when it comes to substances likely to expose the population to major risks” and that “these alerts cannot be ignored”.
For their part, the supporters of the Duplumb law, FNSEA in mind, cry out for manipulation and disinformation. The cacophony settles until the top of the state. The Minister of Ecological Transition admitted that the return of the insecticide was “damage” and came to ruin “our investment momentum in the alternatives”.
(New) European misunderstanding
The debate that divides France undoubtedly comes from the fact that the subject is above all European. How to explain that France prohibited acetamipride in 2018 when at the same time Brussels granted authorization in all European countries until 2033? This is the question. Unfortunately, she is not the only one and there have been many previous ones.
The most resounding example, in any case in the eyes of the border territory that we are, is certainly that of Luxembourg which had given up glyphosate at 1is January 2021 but which was forced to reverse two years later after a decision of the Grand Ducal justice … in the name of non-compliance with the rules of the EU.
Neonicotinoids: authorized in Belgium, but a little shunned in Wallonia
Despite their authorization on Belgian territory, neonicotinoids are very little used in Wallonia, where organic farming is progressing. BIOS market gardeners denounce their impact on biodiversity and defend an freed model of chemical inputs, out of step with national trends.
In Belgium, neonicotinoids are not prohibited. These insecticides, very controversial for their harmfulness on pollinators and surrounding fauna, still benefit from marketing authorizations. However, in the field, their use remains very contrasted according to the region. In Wallonia, producers engaged in organic farming are resolutely turning away. For the second consecutive year, the number of organic farms and the organic area have dropped slightly in Wallonia. However, with 12.3 % of the useful agricultural area in organic, Wallonia remains a good student in Europe.
The Belgian paradox
“Neonicotinoids are dangerous. These pesticides destroy balance. We are not allowed to use it in organic, and that’s good. ” For him, national authorization does not justify its local use. “We cultivate otherwise, respecting the earth.” Michel, organic market gardener of crisp sowing in Tintigny, does not mince his words, just like Stephany and Mark, also installed in Wallonia. In fact, neonicotinoids remain present, especially on certain crops such as 40 % sugar beets or the potato. These uses are particularly concentrated in Flanders, where intensive farms are more numerous.
The Belgian paradox is obvious: while plans to reduce pesticides (Napan, PWRP) have been in place for fifteen years, sales of the most persistent substances, such as PFAS, continue to increase. In 2022, more than 270 tonnes of these molecules were sold, an increase of 22 % in one year. “Belgium must stop sending contradictory signals. Farmers are taken in a system of dependence. It is time to give them back the means to emancipate pesticides, ”explains Virginie Pissoort, plea manager at Nature & Progrès.
Anïs Riffi (The Lorraine Republican)
Pesticides in Luxembourg: measures that struggle to convince
Since 2017, Luxembourg has been trying to reduce the use of plant protection products. For associations, the decisions taken are not sufficient.
Acetamipride, insecticide whose DUPLomb law allows reintroduction, is today still used in Luxembourg. On July 24, the Natur & ëmwelt environment defense association indicated that 50 to 60 kg of this healthy insecticide for health were spilled every year in the wild. However, the Grand Duchy shows a certain energy to restrict the use of pesticides.
Two thirds of the banned PPPs of large surfaces
In 2017, he launched the National Planning Product Reduction Plan Planning Products (PAN). This aims in particular to a decrease in the use of 50 % of plant protection products (PPP) until 2030 as well as a 30 % drop in “big movers”, particularly problematic substances, until 2025.
On January 1, 2024, new measures entered into force. These made two thirds of the plant protection products disappear from the shelves of large surfaces. They also proscribed the use of any type of PPP on waterproof surfaces linked to a rainwater collection network.
These measures also supervised the sale, purchase and use of PPP for professional use. Since 2024, it has been necessary to obtain a “Sprëtzpass” (spray certificate) issued after specific training, to be able to use these substances within the framework of his profession. Finally, only PPPs including active substances evaluated by the European Commission as being “at low risk for human or animal health and the environment”, as well as those usable in organic production are authorized for sale to individuals.
Despite this, associations deplore a incomplete implementation of the PAN and analyzes of the veterinary and food Luxembourg administration regularly reveal the presence of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables from conventional agriculture.
The daily